Give Me More
by The Erumpent Horn
Summary: Dramione, 6th Year Hogwarts. Alternating DM/HG view points, occasionally o/c. Events after POA don't happen. Harry isn't drawn for GOF, Voldemort stays dead. Rated M for very juicy lemons. Don't like? Don't read! COMPLETE.
1. Cowardice

**Diclaimer:** I do not own any characters in this fic unless otherwise stated in the beginning of the chapter. All locations, characters etc all belong to our beloved JK Rowling.  
>Draco Hermione, Blaise/Ginny and more included, though most viewpoints are from either Hermione or Draco's POV. I will, at some point, add a chapter from the POV of a different character. 6th Year, Hogwarts. Voldemort didn't rise in Goblet of Fire, nor did Harry's name emerge from the Goblet of Fire. Please enjoy, and please review!

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><p>Draco found himself looking at Hermione Granger again, as she hopped off the Hogwarts Express. She shook her curls out of her eyes, and Draco's own eyes followed her as she climbed into a carriage with Potter, Weasley, his sister and Longbottom.<p>

"Draco, why don't you just fucking talk to her? You're driving me mad with all this staring. Your reputation will be blown to shit if you get caught gazing longingly at Princess Know-It-All." Blaise Zabini waved a hand in front of Draco's face, attracting his attention.

"Oh, yeah, because_ talking_ to her won't cause raised eyebrows either, would it?" Draco retorted, punching his best friend in the arm. "Speaking of, what are you going to do about Ginevra Weasley? I've caught you looking a couple of times, you dirty hypocrite."

"Changing the subject are you? No, I will talk with her face to face, thank you, so I'm not a hypocrite. If you're too chicken though, you could always send a note with Willafus. You could request her audience." Zabini suggested quietly and teasingly, for Pansy Parkinson was walking by, with one of her so called friends. All they did was bitch behind one another's backs, and they all knew it. How they could have the audacity to call each other friends was beyond Draco.

He got into a carriage with Blaise, Theodore Nott, Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass. The girls were talking about what NEWT classes they were going to take, while the boys were discussing their summers. Draco didn't care for conversation, so he moodily stared out of the carriage window whilst trying to figure out what to do about Granger. She'd been on his mind for the best part of a year, and every time he'd come, whether he was with another girl, or by his own hand, it was her face he saw, and his name she cried out in those fantasies.  
>He came again that night, just thinking of what it would be like to fuck Hermione Granger. It only took a few strokes to make him explode. He was certain that he couldn't go on like this.<p>

He was obsessed.

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><p><em><strong>A month later…<strong>_

"Draco Malfoy, don't make me tell you again. This is ridiculous now. Just fucking talk to her, you coward! Send her a bloody note, or _something_, please!" Blaise said again. It was dinner in the Great Hall and he was still sitting at the Slytherin table with Zabini, although the Hall was mainly empty. Draco got up.

"Fine, I'll write to her in the morning and get Willafus to deliver it with the post owls. She knows him by sight." Draco said, stalking towards the dungeons, Blaise hot on his trail.

"Well, its Friday tomorrow, so make sure you do it then. If things go well, you have the weekend to recover. If not, you have the weekend to recover." Blaise said, smirking at him.

"What about you, Casanova? Did you ever talk to Ginny Weasley?" Draco shot back, half interested and half irritable.

"Oh, Ginevra and I have done _much_ more than talk. And so we shall again tonight at the Room of Requirement. You should get Granger to meet you there; after all, it's only about forty seconds down the corridor for her."

Draco muttered the password for the Slytherin dorms and walked in. He and Blaise settled in armchairs near the fire, still talking about their Gryffindor obsessions.

"What about Weasley, though? Is she really open to your tastes?" Draco asked. Blaise's varying sexual tastes were legend throughout all four Hogwarts houses. Ginny looked like a wild child though, Draco thought, pushing his hair back. "I can't imagine her contorting herself all over the place for a Slytherin, my friend."

"Oh, Draco, you have so much to learn. She does much more than contort herself for me. Though she has got revenge on me over a few occasions. She's almost as diverse in her tastes as I am in mine!" Blaise got a black embroidered cushion thrown at his head then by Draco, who smiled when it hit him in the middle of his face.

Draco and Blaise were like brothers, they were so close, but they were almost polar opposites. Blaise liked it however it came, whereas Draco preferred to be in control of a situation. Also, Draco was a pale skinned blonde with grey eyes, while Blaise had chocolate coloured skin and very dark eyes. Blaise was more willowy too, whereas Draco worked out, thanks to being on the Quidditch team. Draco considered all of this, and tried to write a note for Granger.

"Get to the point, Drake!" Blaise exclaimed after Draco's sixth bit of parchment found itself burning in the hearth. "Just be snappy and get it sent."

"What about you? Seeing Ginny tonight, aren't you?"

"Not till 10pm, my friend. Still got an hour and it won't take me that long to get there." Blaise grinned naughtily at Draco, knowing he wasn't getting any tonight. Blaise was gloating, Draco ignored it.

"Yeah, well, I'm going to bed. Have fun. Be back for lessons tomorrow, nympho." Draco said before he got up and walked to the stairs leading down to the dorms. He stripped, looking down at his muscular body as he did so. He was well proportioned everywhere – especially in the only place it truly mattered. He put on some pyjama pants, got into his bed and drew the emerald curtains shut. Draco fell asleep almost immediately, dreaming of a curly haired Gryffindor.

When Draco woke up, he hurried to get dressed. He jogged all the way to the Owlery to give Willafus the note for Hermione, reminding him to fly in with the other delivery owls. He took a gentle stroll back however, trying to steady his churning stomach. There was no going back, he'd sent the note. Hermione was either going to meet him tonight or not. He threw himself down opposite Blaise when he finally got into the Great Hall, anxiously awaiting the post owls.

Draco looked over to the Gryffindor table. Willafus had just delivered Draco's note to Hermione. She looked down at the envelope and stuffed in her bag, reaching across Blaise's fuck-buddy for some bacon. She caught his eye, and he shook his head slightly. He turned back to Blaise, who was giving him a knowing smile.

"It's about fucking time, my friend." Blaise said, pouring himself some pumpkin juice. "Now you just have to get through tonight."

"Thanks Blaise, just when I thought that I couldn't be any more nervous about tonight." Draco said, watching Hermione as she walked out of the Great Hall, arms linked with one Ginevra Weasley.

_She's fucking beautiful_, Draco thought to himself as Hermione strode away.


	2. Summons

Hermione looked down at the piece of parchment in her hand. It had been delivered by a small, sharp looking owl named Willafus, which she recognised as Draco Malfoy's. It had her name on it, but she felt odd, as though it was meant for her eyes only. She slipped the envelope in her bag, pouring herself a goblet of pumpkin juice. One of her best friends, Harry Potter, looked at her.

"Are you feeling alright, Hermione?" Harry asked, a small crease appearing between his eyebrows. He knew the owl was from Malfoy. She nodded and tried to look bright and carefree.

Hermione reached across her best girlfriend, Ginny, to get a couple of rashers of bacon. She allowed herself a moment to peer around to the Slytherin table and at Draco. He met her gaze and shook his head slightly. Then he turned to talk to Blaise Zabini, his white-blonde hair falling over his forehead casually. Hermione heard someone clearing their throat behind her. She whirled back round to find her three best friends each giving her a different look. Ronald Weasley's was one of confusion; his sister, Ginny, wore a look of amusement mixed with concern; and Harry's look was of open disapproval. However, they could all tell that she had been gazing at Draco Malfoy, and not paying the slightest bit of attention to them.

"Like what you saw there, Hermione?" Ginny smiled, her blue eyes pinning her with a knowing look.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. What were you all saying?" Hermione shot back, knowing full well that for Ginny to say anything would be hypocritical; after all, she was having casual sex with Zabini twice a week in the Room of Requirement.

"We were saying, Hermione, that Dumbledore has added another Hogsmeade trip for the Easter holidays, for those staying behind. Do you know what you're doing yet?" Harry said, still looking a little disappointed.

"Harry, I couldn't tell you. It's only October anyway, I've still got to think about what I'm doing for Christmas. I don't know whether to stay behind to study or not. Are you staying here for Christmas, or going to the Burrow?"

"Well, he's coming with me, obviously." Ron said, talking around a mouthful of sausage. "Mum invited you as well, 'Mione. If you want to come, you're welcome."

Hermione smiled and got up. "I'll have a think, and let your mum know closer to the time. We've still got another month or so. Gin, are you coming with me? I want to talk to you about something."

Ginny got up smoothly and linked arms with Hermione, walking with her out of the Great Hall, and towards the dormitories. When they got there, Hermione locked the door and cast an avoidance charm on the door, to dissuade people from wanting to get in.

"Ginny, I got a letter this morning, from Malfoy. It was his owl, and the envelope had his writing on it. I'm scared to open it though." Hermione stammered. Ginny responded by delving her hand into Hermione's bag and grabbing the envelope. She then thrust it into the older girl's trembling hand.

"Open it, Hermione."

She tore open the envelope and yanked the parchment out. She read it slowly. Then she re-read it. And then read it for a third time.

_**Meet me on the 7**__**th**__** Floor tonight at 11pm. Outside the RoR. I need to talk to you about something.**_

Hermione handed the parchment to Ginny, who smiled and said, "I don't think he wants to ask about homework. This calls for some sexy lingerie, just in case. Lucky it's Friday night, Hermione, don't you think?"

"No, I don't think. I have a bad feeling about this Gin, so unless you know something I don't about tonight, I refuse to go."

Ginny smirked, a naughty twinkle lighting up her cornflower blue eyes. "I happen to have noticed that during the past year or so, Slytherin's Prince hasn't been able to take his eyes off of you. And he appears to like what he sees, if you know what I mean. Plus, Blaise mentioned it to me."

Hermione's breath hitched. Malfoy _liked_ her? That was impossible! She was a mudblood, which put her on the same level as house elves in his opinion, and that wasn't very high at all. She stared at Ginny as she rifled through all of Hermione's clothes. An outfit landed on her bed.

"Try that, 'Mione." Ginny instructed, tossing a tight red t-shirt at her. It was the type of top that clung to every curve on her torso, and teasingly showed off her killer cleavage. A pair of tight, low riding jeans found themselves in her hands, along with a pair of black leather ankle boots with a high, spiky heel.

"You're kidding, right, Gin? I can't wear this. He'll think I'm a slut." Hermione complained. She tried them anyway, letting her hair down so it fell in loose curls around her shoulders. The very ends of her hair brushed the tops of her breasts, which were on show, thanks to the crimson tee. The jeans made her legs look as if they would go on forever, and the boots added a naughty edge to the whole outfit. "I don't look too bad, I guess." She muttered softly.

"He'll have a raging hard-on the moment he sets eyes on you. Add some gold jewellery, so that you're subtly reminding him that you're a Gryffindor, not just a girl. I'll do your hair and make-up later, before you go." Ginny said, winking at her. Hermione grinned back, and changed back into her robes.

"What about you? Are you seeing Zabini tonight?" Hermione asked.

"Nope, I saw him last night. It was quite a long night to be honest, and I'm really exhausted." Ginny said, sighing and rubbing her eyes. Hermione walked over to her bedside table and took out a potion that was made to prevent fatigue and restore her energy levels. She often used it before exams if she'd studied all night. She tossed it to Ginny, who caught it, looked at the label and downed the little vial in one swallow.

"Thanks, Hermione, I needed that." Ginny said, brightening considerably. The dark circles vanished from beneath her eyes, and even her skin looked healthier. The two witches linked arms again, and walked out of the dormitory to their first classes of the day, chatting and laughing all the way to their separate classes.

Transfiguration went by without a hitch, but Hermione noticed that Draco had moved seats so that he was a row behind her and to her left. She was determined not to pay him any attention, but she found it harder as the lesson went on. It didn't help that Gryffindor had Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins next. At least then, she could be sat next to Harry, instead of Dean Thomas, who was as quiet and hardworking as she normally was.

It was easier to concentrate in all her other lessons, as she was as far from Draco as the room would allow, and generally sat next to someone who could distract her with pleas for help. At dinner, she only had a slice of quiche with a little salad on the side, and excused herself immediately after finishing, getting her homework finished before she saw Draco. As she left the Great Hall, she could feel his eyes on her. She didn't quite know how to feel about that.

She finished her homework at around half past ten, and she raced up to the dormitory to find Ginny waiting with her make-up case and various hair-care products. She settled herself on a stool, while Ginny worked on taming her hair, and applying her make-up. Thankfully, the Room of Requirement was only about a minute down the corridor, so she didn't have to leave too early.

When Ginny was done, Hermione pulled on her jeans, and smoothed down the crimson t-shirt, so it clung to her curves. She put on the boots and looked at Ginny nervously. Her best friend nodded and gave her a gold bracelet, while she put on a gold necklace her mother had given her for her 15th birthday and put in some diamond studs. Her best friend squirted some vanilla perfume on her neck, wrists and (much to Hermione's protests) on the tops of her breasts.

"Go, then. It's nearly 11 o'clock. Cast a disillusionment charm, so you don't get caught by Filch. I'll see you tomorrow!" Ginny pushed her out of the dormitory, and she caught her reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall. Her hair was tamed into loose curls that brushed the bottom of her shoulder blades, and her breasts at the front. She had brown eyeliner and mascara, with a gold eye shadow and her lips were painted red, like her top. She looked stunning, even if she was to admit it to herself. She cast the charm, as instructed, and climbed out of the portrait hole. She silenced her boots, so she wouldn't be heard and set off on her way.

Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Draco casually leaning against the wall opposite the entrance to the room. He was wearing a black shirt, tucked into black trousers, with shiny black shoes. He wore a silver tie loose around his neck and a silver chain with an emerald serpent. She revealed herself and nodded to him in acknowledgement. She noticed that he had dressed with his house colours in mind, just as she had. She saw his Adam's apple move as he swallowed, looking her over. His gaze lingered on her face and a sexy twinkle appeared in his eye.


	3. Passion

"What did you want then? You said you wanted to talk about something, so talk." Hermione said, and Draco could tell she was uncomfortable. She turned him on, no doubts about that, and it worried him. But honestly, with the way she was dressed, there was no way he wouldn't be. He paced past the only blank space of the wall three times, and a plain wooden door appeared. Draco opened it and motioned for her to go first, following her in.

A large room came into view, decorated in green and red, their house colours. There was a squashy sofa and a couple of armchairs in the room, all round the huge, roaring fire. The flames cast a warm glow around the room, and Draco watched as Hermione immediately settled on the silver and gold coloured sofa in front of the fire. She conjured a small coffee table, with a jug of butterbeer and two goblets in the middle.

"What did you want to say?" Hermione asked again as Draco sat next to her.

Draco swallowed again, and quickly glanced at her body. He had no idea it was that gorgeous, because it was always hidden under loose robes, but now he could appreciate her generous bust, and her flat stomach, and smooth hips. Her legs looked as if they were going on forever in those teasing jeans. No doubt that her friend, the She-Weasel, had picked this outfit for her.

"Well, there's a problem, Granger. If you tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, I will hex you. I suspect the She-Weasel knows something about it, seeing as she's fucking Blaise, but your friends aren't to know. And by that, I mean Potty and Weasel-bee."

"Malfoy, treat my friends with respect, stop being so crude, and don't threaten me because that won't get you in my good books. What the hell is up with you that is oh-so-important?" Hermione demanded. Her curls quivered as she shook with anger. He realised that she was right and changed track, albeit with some difficulty.

"I'm sorry Granger. I won't offend you or your friends again. See, I'm quite… nervous about telling you what I have to say. Can you promise me you won't tell anyone? I guess your friend Ginny knows, as she has an odd sort of relationship with Blaise." Here, Draco rolled his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Well, I have nothing to lose with you, so here goes: I've found that over the past year, I've become somewhat… attracted to you. But, can you really blame me? You are quite… exquisite. It's become too obvious for me to ignore now, and I thought I should tell you, as sharing things seems to be a pretty Gryffindor thing to do." He had been looking at the fire the whole time he said this, and he glanced up at her, expecting a look of disgust on her face. Instead, she looked at him softly and covered his hand with hers, nodding. She smiled at him, reading the shock on his face.

"Apology accepted, on all counts. And it goes against the grain to say this… but, I feel the same. I've only really noticed since we came back after the summer. However, I have no idea what you want to do about it. You haven't actually said." Hermione said, still smiling at him, though it was a little tense, as though she expected him to snatch his hand away and tell her the whole thing was a joke. Draco's heart quickened, with a feeling of dread. _Why should she trust you? _He thought to himself scathingly. _All you've ever done was insult and belittle her._

He leant forward slowly, giving her time to pull away before their lips met. Draco felt his cock jump up in his trousers as they kissed. He drew her closer, pulling her up onto his lap as her tongue gently massaged his own. She moaned low in her throat as the kiss deepened, and she brought her hands up to run through his hair, and back down, trailing her fingers lower until they brushed at his penis. He moaned a little on his own then, sensing that it was okay for him to run his hands up to gently cup her breasts in his hands. As he did this, Hermione's hands darted up to his tie and began loosening it, breaking the kiss to slip it over his head. Draco was still exploring her topography as she removed his shirt, and pulled her own over her head.

Draco stopped and stared at her. Again, she mirrored him, but she had a naughty smile playing at her lips as he took in her black and red lace bra. It accentuated rather than hid her breasts, and Draco could only watch as she teasingly took it off. She was doing it slowly and deliberately, so that Draco could see the treasure hidden beneath the fabric. "Granger," he whispered with a suddenly dry mouth, "You're perfect!"

He took one nipple in his mouth and began sucking at it. She moaned loudly as he did so, and Draco grabbed his wand to silence the room. He then began to pay attention to the other breast, and she tugged at his trousers in return. He stopped to help her out of her own clothes, halting her attempt to strip him. He left her matching lace pants on, though there wasn't much fabric to it. He stared at her again. It was still too much clothing for his liking.

"Remove your pants. Slowly, so I can treasure this moment for a long time." Draco said huskily. Hermione did as he bade, hooking a thumb in each side of the waistband of those little lace knickers and teased them down, almost excruciatingly slowly. When they finally dropped to her ankles, she stepped out of them, her cheeks reddening as she stood in front of Draco, completely naked.

Draco gasped, receiving a slight smirk from the object of his attentions. She was hairless, and her sweet little nub poked out a little, pale pink. "It's your turn." Hermione said, interrupting his incoherent thoughts. He paused, trying to make her words make sense through the fog of lust in his brain. He stood, and Hermione crossed the space between them, releasing the button and tugging down the zip. He finally realised what she wanted him to do then. He slipped off his shoes and socks, and pushed the trousers down, standing before her clad only in his silver silk boxers.

Hermione made an odd noise that was a mixture of a gasp and a giggle as she saw just how aroused he really was. He heard her mutter something along the lines of _"so big!"_ and he gave her a sexy smirk in return. Draco slid his thumbs into the waistband of his boxers, the same way she had done with her own underpants, and pulled them down. They were both naked, and Draco could see that Hermione couldn't tear her pretty mahogany eyes away from his length.

He stepped closer to her, mentally conjuring a huge bed behind them, and getting rid of the armchairs, except for the one that now held all their clothes. Hermione pressed herself against him, sighing as their lips met again. Fire scorched through them both as their kiss deepened once more. Draco gripped the back of her thighs and lifted her, so that she was straddling his waist, the tip of his penis gently finding the perfect place on her slit. She lowered herself down onto him, both of them gasping as they fit together. Draco stumbled back, and landed on the bed he'd just conjured. The sheets were black and soft, like silk, and the mattress was as soft as a cloud.

Draco moaned as she repositioned herself, starting to rise and fall on top of him, both of them crying out as their flesh slapped together. He reached his hands out to her breasts, massaging them, and pinching her pink nipples, causing more gasps and moans to escape her. At the same time, Draco started to thrust upwards every time she fell back onto him, causing his penis to be buried further inside of her. Draco knew he was close, and warned Hermione, but she bounced harder upon him still.

"_HERMIONE!"_ Draco yelled as he felt his sublime release, stars shooting in front of his eyes. He was only slightly aware of her scream of passion, as she too had a powerful orgasm and collapsed on top of him. They lay there as occasional aftershocks rippled through them. Draco flashed Hermione a lazy smile as he realised he was still buried inside of her.

"That was amazing," Hermione sighed sighed Hermione as Draco pulled out of her. He nodded in agreement, his grey eyes roaming over her face. He laid an arm over her waist, and pulled her closer, his hand resting on her back. "Now what do we do?"

"We stay here, together, tonight. I want to wake up with you in the morning, and watch you try and sneak back into Gryffindor Tower, while I take a secret passageway back down to my Common Room. You'll probably tell Ginny all about us, while I try to fight off Blaise and Theo's taunts about you. And then we'll meet again, soon, so I won't have too long to wait to see you again. But before all of that, I must ask you: will you be mine? Mine alone, for everyone to see? Will you be proud to be seen with me? Will you give me the right to call you my girlfriend?"

Hermione looked as though she were lost for words. Her eyes filled with tears, making Draco immediately worried that he'd hurt her. She held a finger up to him, and he waited for her to calm down, absentmindedly stroking patterns into her back. She spoke only one word before they both fell asleep, their limbs tangled beneath the fluffy duvet.

"Yes."

It was the happiest Draco had felt in is entire life.


	4. Confessions

Hermione woke up, feeling movement around her. She sat up, suddenly remembering the events of the night before. She peeked at herself beneath the covers. Yep, she was naked. A small chuckle from the other side of the room reminded her that she was not alone.

"Good morning, Hermione," said Draco. He sounded almost strained. Hermione realised then, he was worried she'd have changed her mind. It warmed her heart to know that he was worried about that.

"Good morning, my Slytherin Prince. I assume you slept well?" Hermione said, smiling naughtily at her… boyfriend. He smiled back, relieved that she was still willing to be his. He crossed the space between them and Hermione gazed up at him, finding that she was lost within his grey eyes. The duvet slipped down her chest as Draco climbed onto the bed, as naked as she was. He snickered, and she fell back out of her reverie. "What's so funny, Draco?"

"Nice rack," said Draco, still snickering. The bed shook with his laughter. Hermione looked down to find that her chest was covered in love bites. Godric's woolly socks, how did she get _those_? "That's not all, sweetheart, look what you did to my back!" Draco turned, and Hermione gasped as dozens of scratches came into view. They were in varying stages of healing, as some were deeper than others.

"Oh, Draco, I'm so sorry! Some of them are still bleeding!" Hermione was shaking as she picked up her wand and healed the deeper scratches, leaving the lesser ones there upon Draco's request. He explained that he liked it a little rough, and he wanted a reminder of this night. He also requested that she leave some of the love bites there, for him to see when they next met.

"Sweetheart, we'll have to go back to our dorms," whispered Draco as he lay with Hermione on the bed. "I need to change, and Blaise will expect me to explain where I've been. Of course, he'll know exactly what's happened. You don't mind if I fill him in? I know you'll want to tell Ginevra." Hermione snuggled into Draco's chest and he kissed her forehead.

Hermione sat up, quietly grumbling to herself. She didn't want to part ways with Draco just yet. She took a moment to think about their odd relationship. He was a Slytherin and she was a Gryffindor. Despite wanting to get along with all the houses in Hogwarts, a feeling of deep unease settled in her stomach to think of the Slytherins. She knew most of them had parents who were Death Eaters at some stage or another, and still held by their old values. Basically, they all hated anyone who was muggle born. It suddenly occurred to her that her _boyfriend's_ parents were exactly those people. And so was he. She jumped as she felt his strong arms wind back around her body and he pulled her back against him.

"What's wrong, petal?" Draco interrupted her thoughts. He kissed her on the cheek. Hermione turned her head and smiled as he kissed her lips instead. His kiss awoke something inside her, something new and exciting. She felt like such a rebel.

"Mmm, nothing," murmured Hermione against Draco's lips. Her arms wound around his neck and she pulled him on top of her. Hermione felt Draco harden against her leg and she smiled once more…

…Thirty minutes later, Hermione felt fully sated. She grinned at Draco, who smiled sleepily back.

"Thank Slytherin's soul that it's Saturday. I need a very long sleep." Draco stretched, and Hermione couldn't help but stare as the muscles in his stomach rippled. Suddenly, Hermione whimpered. A feeling of dread settled within her, and her eyes welled with tears.

"Oh no, no, I can't. It can't… Draco!" Hermione gasped, her breath shuddering with the sudden onset of tears.

"Hermione, what's wrong, what is it? Hermione, tell me!" Draco's face had fallen, and it wore a mask of pure worry. He shook her gently when she didn't answer. Hermione felt faint and she was barely coherent when she answered him.

"Draco, we… so many times… I didn't cast the anti-conception spell. You… no, no, it can't happen. Draco…" Hermione was sobbing into her hands now, completely inconsolable, and she pinned Draco with a look of utmost loathing when he started to laugh. "It's not fucking funny!" Hermione hiccoughed and started beating Draco on his chest, each blow heavier and more painful than the last.

"Ouch, stop hitting me, woman! Hermione, for fuck's sake! Stop it, Hermione!" Draco took her wrists in his hands then, and refused to let them go. Recognising that her fight was useless, she gave him a look that said: _I'm waiting_. He continued, "Just because you were too horny to notice, doesn't mean I didn't cast it. I did it just before the first time. It lasts 12 hours. We've barely scraped 10. Merlin's beard, Hermione, you didn't have to go and attack me! You're lucky I didn't incarcerate you."

Hermione felt the shock on her face. When on earth had he cast it? Hermione had never felt so relieved in her life. She was trembling, and she clutched her boyfriend's neck and kissed him ferociously. "Draco, oh Draco, I can't believe you… Thank you, oh thank you so much! Oh you're wonderful. _Why didn't you tell me?_ Oh thank you, you are _fantastic!_" She felt his chest rumble as he laughed into her hair and kissed her soft curls.

"Petal, you're swearing was really quite funny. We're going to have to start making a move. I for one know that the longer I am here, the more Zabini and Nott will rabbit on at me. I have a feeling that Ginny will react the same way. At least you don't have to go so far, you're only down the corridor!" Draco made a face and Hermione giggled.

"Yes, okay, I get it. When are we to meet next?" She asked, swiftly pulling on her clothes, watching as her beau did the same.

"I'll send Willafus, my owl, to you. I've thought of a clever little way for us to be able to talk at any time, but it will take time to make. I will send it to you, again, via my owl." Draco had a smug smile on his face and he gave her one last, lingering kiss as he opened the door. Hermione left first, casting a longing glance back at him. Her heels clicked, and she got admiring looks from a few third year boys as they passed her.

"Dilligrout," muttered Hermione when she approached the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Precisely," replied the Lady, swinging forward to reveal the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. She climbed through, making her way up to the dorms groggily. She saw a flash of red speeding towards her as Ginny leapt off of Hermione's bed.

"I can see _someone_ had a good time last night. How was your little blonde ferret?" Ginny said, embracing her as she walked over to collapse on her bed.

"Do you know what, Ginny? He was great! He was so different! Well, not at first, because he was threatening to hex me and insulted you, Harry and Ron; but then he changed. He was so nervous, like he expected me to run out cursing him or something. It's very refreshing, however, to not be arguing with him. He confessed his feelings for me, while we sat in front of a fire, drinking butterbeer. And then he kissed me! It was _wonderful_, Ginny, so romantic. The whole night was just… _perfect_! Oh, can you get my pain relief potion for me? My head is _pounding_."

"Looks like you need something for bruises instead," Ginny snickered, pointing at her chest. She rooted around in the bedside cabinet and retrieved a small jar of blue cream. "It's for your love-bites." Ginny said, tossing it to Hermione, along with a small phial of painkilling potion.

"Thanks, Gin. Merlin's beard, I have that fantastic after-sex feeling. I feel so laid-back; I'm surprised I'm not horizontal. I haven't felt like this since I slept with Krum after the Yule Ball in fourth year." Hermione said, grinning.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I get it with Blaise _all the time_. Now, please, what's going to happen with you and Malfoy now?" Ginny said excitedly, before calling Dobby to fetch some butterbeer and chocolate cake for both herself and Hermione.

Hermione smiled and shifted to make more room for Ginny. She got changed into a men's t-shirt and some cheap muggle jogging bottoms. She settled on the bed with a small sigh of contentment and said, "Well, Draco told me last night that he wanted to see me again. He then proceeded to asking me to 'be his' – as in his girlfriend." She stopped and grinned at her best friend when she gasped in shock. "Yeah, I know, Gin. I was as shocked as you, well, perhaps even more so as I found myself incapable of speech for a minute or two. Oh, and I almost bawled my eyes out. But I said yes. This morning, when we woke up together, he thought I'd have gone back on my agreement. He was so tense, but he really loosened up when I showed no sign of backing down."

"Let me take a minute: Draco Malfoy, biggest man-whore of Slytherin, asked you to be his _girlfriend_. As in, he will see you and only you exclusively." Ginny was shaking her head in bemusement, her red hair swinging across her back as she did so.

"Oh, Ginny, that's not even the worst of it. He wants me to be his – in_ public_, in front of the whole school. He said he didn't want me to be ashamed."

Ginny lapsed into a fit of giggles so infectious, Hermione couldn't help but join in. "So, he wants you two to become public? Wow, Slytherin's biggest brat is pussy-whipped on a bookworm muggle-born Gryffindor."

Hermione was crying with laughter when her friend said that, and she took a swig of the butterbeer Dobby brought up, and then hiccoughed.

"I don't think he wants to go public just yet. He said he was going to make something, and owl it to me. I don't know what to think, Ginny. I'll sleep on it, I think, right now. I'll see you later Ginny?"

"Sure," she said, going toward the door. "Sleep tight."

"Oh, I almost forgot – don't tell anyone else, _especially _Harry and Ron!"

Ginny saluted, shut Hermione's curtains with a wave of her wand, and walked out of the dormitories. Hermione savoured the silence for a minute. She imagined Draco's arms around her, holding her to his muscular body and fell asleep.


	5. Fury

Draco walked out of the Room of Requirement, and he could hear Hermione's boots gently clicking as she walked. The sound ceased, which meant she'd disappeared into Gryffindor Tower. He walked the opposite way, just behind a small group of third year boys who were discussing a girl. Draco listened a little harder.

"Yeah, but did you see her tits? That top didn't exactly hide 'em did it?" One boy was muttering excitedly. His friend shook his head.

"No, it didn't, but you couldn't have missed all the love bites. She's clearly just had a good, rough night in. Wonder who the lucky fella is." The boy's friends laughed.

"You ain't got a chance with her. She's a sixth year! Not to mention, she's a prefect as well." The first boy retorted.

"Yeah, and if you reckon Harry Potter and his ginger mate will let you get anywhere near her, you're having a bubble!" A third boy chimed in. They were talking about Hermione, Draco was sure of it. He wanted to hex them into oblivion for talking about her like that, but he kept himself contained. The fourth boy stayed silent throughout the whole conversation, only occasionally looking up. His friends barely noted his presence, choosing to ignore him.

Draco picked up the pace and walked past them, hurrying down towards the dungeons. When he finally got inside the common room, he was bombarded with questions from Pansy.

"Where have you been?" She barked in his face, the second he had climbed into the common room. He looked at her as she wringed her hands, shaking her head at him.

"Parkinson, it's none of your business where I go or what I do." Draco said coldly, much like his old self. Pansy flinched back, and Draco felt a hint of satisfaction.

"Of course it's not, Malfoy." Pansy re-arranged her face smoothly, her voice glacial. She walked away, and he could see her talking to Daphne in the corner. He knew they were talking about him from the glances they kept stealing over his way.

Draco spied Blaise and Theo sitting in another corner on a black leather couch, each drinking a glass of Rosmerta's Oak Matured Mead. Blaise looked up from his conversation and waved to Draco, a smirk darkening his features. A glass of mead was thrust into his hand as he threw himself on an armchair opposite his friends. For a minute, all three boys were completely silent, just staring at each other, drinking their mead. Theo broke the silence.

"So Drake, what happened last night? You were gone the all night. You're wearing yesterday's clothes. I take it you got some."

"I know what happened," interrupted Blaise. "He shagged Granger. And he asked her out, by the look on his face." Blaise smirked.

"Blaise, I wonder sometimes if you're telepathic. Come with me, boys. I have something to show you." Draco smiled and stalked off to the dorms, his two friends hot on his trail. Draco made sure that the dorms were empty before he stripped off his black shirt. He turned around so his friends could see his back. "Look at this! Look what she did! Apparently, she likes it rough."

"Woah, Drake. She's not so innocent after all? Was she a virgin before you shagged?" Theo was, as usual, being crude and nosy. Draco simply shook his head.

"What you didn't tell us, you little snake, is what her answer was to your… proposition. I know you fucked, but did you ask her before or after?"

"I asked her afterwards. She actually got a bit weepy when I asked her. She said yes. Then we fell asleep, woke up, and shagged a bit more. Then fell asleep again. She's quite good actually." Blaise's owl flew in then, holding a small parchment envelope. Blaise walked over to retrieve it, read the note inside, and hastily penned a reply to send back on a fresh bit of parchment. Draco studied his friend's face, which annoyingly gave nothing away.

"It was Ginevra. She wants me to meet her immediately. Draco, she wants you to come too. Have a quick shower and get changed into something clean. She's given us 15 minutes. Sorry Theodore, she only wants me and Draco to come. She hasn't said whether Granger will be coming or not, but dress decently just in case. It wouldn't do for anyone to see you looking scruffy at all." When Draco didn't move, Blaise gripped the scruff of his neck and dragged him to the bathroom, throwing a green and silver Slytherin towel at him.

Thirteen minutes later, Blaise and Draco had disillusioned themselves and were running at full pelt up to the Seventh Floor, attracting strange looks from people who could only hear the sound of shoes slapping the floor as the boys ran. They stopped outside the Room of Requirement, to see Ginny waiting, with Hermione by her side. Ginny stepped up to Blaise, tapped his shoulder with her wand and said "_Finite Incantatem_". Blaise became visible again, and Draco made himself seen as well.

Hermione gave a tiny smile when she saw Draco. She was wearing an emerald coloured t-shirt that covered the love bites on her chest, but still showed off one that was on the side of her neck, behind and below her right ear. She'd left her hair down, so the small bruise was covered, but she kept absently stroking it. It made Draco feel odd. His heart quickened every time her slender hand went near the love bite.

"You look tired, Draco," whispered Hermione, her concerned eyes roaming over his face.

"Yes, I had a very… busy night last night. I didn't get much sleep." Draco replied, smiling at her quickly. "You look well though."

"It's an energy replenishing potion."

"Yes, yes, that's great. Good to know you both had a good night, well done, well done. Get in here!" Ginny snapped at the two. She had paced past the empty space three times and the same wooden door Draco saw yesterday appeared. Blaise walked in first and Draco could hear his snort from inside. Hermione followed, tugging at Draco's hand. Ginny followed them all inside and locked the door.

"Ginevra, my dear, what is wrong?" Blaise asked her gently. Ginny patted his arm and Blaise linked his fingers with hers. She kissed him on the cheek, turning to face Hermione and Draco. Draco looked at her curiously. He realised she had been crying. He looked at his girlfriend as Ginny started speaking.

"Hermione, Harry… he attacked me this morning, after I left you to sleep. I went down to see him and Ron in their dorms. Only Harry was alone. He was drunk as a skunk and he tried to curse me." Blaise hissed and squeezed Ginny's hand. Draco shook his head at his friend, knowing he wanted to find Harry.

"Ginny, this is important, _why_ would he try to curse you?" Draco asked, trying to sound sympathetic. He could feel Hermione's eyes on him and he looked around to see her nodding approvingly at him.

"_I don't know!_ He was drunk. He said he knew what Hermione and I were doing and that it would end badly. He said that it would result in our deaths. His exact words after that were 'They are Death Eaters. They can't accept that their beloved Voldemort is dead. They will kill you. It may not be them, but their friends. You'll be ripped to shreds, with your family being blood traitors and Hermione being a mudblood'. He was cackling, and then he tried to curse me. I blocked it and Petrified him."

Draco stared at Ginny, feeling a hiss escape his lips. He checked himself, knowing it would do no good just yet. He was still staring at the red-haired girl, as were Hermione and Blaise, who were on their feet, wands out in a split second. They ran to the door at the same time. Draco tackled Blaise to the ground and threw his wand across the room, while Ginny was duelling with Hermione.

"Malfoy, move out of my way!" Ginny cried, pointing her wand at her beau. "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

Ginny threw herself down next to Blaise. Draco ran over to Hermione, who was trying to fight her way out of Ginny's ropes. She was sobbing all the time, and Draco felt his heart hurt as he watched her trying to wrench her way free. He was as furious as Blaise was, but he was desperate to keep his temper under control, unlike Hermione, who looked as though she wanted to torture Harry to near madness.

"Shush, Hermione, I will free you when you calm down. Stop this, it won't do either you or Ginny any good if you go and attack Harry. What he said was disgusting, and I will hex him beyond recognition when I get my hands on him. But I think… I think Potter may just be jealous. I think he knows about us, and he definitely knows about Ginny and Blaise." He looked over at Ginny who was apologising to Blaise's frozen form over and over again. "Hermione, my petal, let me sort this out. Please, Hermione. I will see him. If you refuse to calm down, I will not free you."

"Fine, I won't go after that arsehole. I'll let you deal with it. Now _let me go_." Hermione spat, her voice dripping poison. Draco examined her for another few seconds, wondering if he was doing the right thing.

"Finite Incantatem," said Draco, pulling Hermione into his arms, and holding her against him. She relaxed and reached up to kiss him. He kissed her back, softly, and gently let her go, walking over to Blaise and Ginny. "Ginevra, go and sit with Hermione. You both could do with a drink. I will talk to Blaise."

Ginny nodded and walked over to Hermione, somewhat rigidly. Draco looked down upon his friend.

"We will get Harry Potter, you mark my words. For now though, we do nothing. He will expect it, and you know it. Keep control until I say otherwise. I promise you, I will even allow you to use the Cruciatus Curse on him, but you must rein it in for now. You need to look after Ginny, the same way I have to look after Hermione. It wouldn't do to get expelled just yet." Draco smiled down at his friend, who looked as though he could kill someone. Well, if that someone was Harry Potter. "I will release you now. Remember, you will wait for my word before you attack: Finite Incantatem."

Blaise sprang up, fire in his eyes. Draco stared at him, watching as Blaise's temper gradually cooled off. He nodded a silent thanks to Draco and wandered off to sit with Ginny. Draco stared down at his feet for a moment before going to comfort Hermione. His old hatred for Harry Potter rushed back to the surface painfully fast. He wanted to rip Potter's throat out with his bare hands.

He so hoped he would get that chance.


	6. Confrontations

Hermione nestled herself into Draco's arms the moment he sat down next to her. She peeked over at Blaise and Ginny. Her best friend was still trying to calm him. Draco was still grumbling under his breath. Hermione reached up a slender hand to caress his cheek. He fell silent and gazed down into her eyes. Hermione's heart quickened its pace.  
>"Let's get out of here," she murmured. "I think Ginny wants some time alone with Blaise."<p>

Draco peered down at her and gave her a quick smile. "We'll give them their time for now," he said, "but I want to meet you here later. Just after dinner. I want the whole night with you, Hermione. I'd ask for sooner, but we're just about to start lunch, and I want a chance to talk to Potter."

Hermione stood up, stretching. She was quite tired after being tied up in ropes, thanks to Ginny. Now that she had calmed down, she was actually a little upset that Draco wanted to talk to Harry on her behalf. "Draco… I'm really flattered that you want to talk to Harry for me, but I really think I ought to do it. Harry and I have been friends for years, and I want to find out what's happening on my own. I don't need you to do it, though I'm truly grateful." Hermione trailed off, seeing the incomprehensible look on Draco's face.

"You want me to just stand by and wait for him to attack you this time? How do you think I'd feel if it was you so torn up? I don't think I'd be able to restrain myself if it was you. It would break my heart if you had to go through what she just did." Draco whispered the last part, his head bent to the floor. Hermione thought she saw the sparkle of a tear on his cheek.

"Draco, don't hide from me. _This_ is the reason I have to talk to Harry instead of you – I could never forgive myself if Harry kicked off with you and one of you got hurt. Harry is one of my best friends, and you are now my boyfriend. I love Harry like a brother, and I don't know what he's playing at, but _I will find out_." Hermione had walked around to face him and she gripped his wrists, pulling them away from his pale face.

"And me, Hermione? What are your feelings towards me?" Draco demanded, suddenly fierce again. Hermione sighed, linking her fingers with his as their hands dangled by their sides. Draco's eyes bore into hers. She looked away, embarrassed.

"I don't know," whispered Hermione. "It's so soon, Draco. I… I like you. I like you a lot, and I feel _great_ when I'm with you. I… I'm confused about my feelings; it's just all so _new_ for me! I'm sorry, but this is just so different! But I like it. I like how I feel, being with you and I want to get used to this feeling. I don't want this to end, not yet, and it scares me." She broke off, staring up at his blank face. "Yet I say all this, and you haven't dared to admit anything more than 'attraction'."

Draco's jaw dropped as Hermione whirled, quietly sobbing, and ran out of the Room of Requirement. She stalked of down the Seventh floor corridor.

"Hermione, come back! _Hermione,_" shouted Ginny was running after her, her shoes slapping the stone floor. The girls stumbled through the portrait hole. Hermione looked back at Ginny, whose face was as red as her hair. "Do you mind telling me what happened back there?"

"What is there to say, Ginny?" Hermione wiped her eyes with an emerald coloured handkerchief. "I just humiliated myself, telling _Draco Malfoy_ how I really felt, when he didn't outright say he felt anything more than the attraction he admitted to. How could I, Hermione Granger - the smartest girl in my year, do something so _stupid?"_

"Hermione, snap out of it! Think about _last night_, Hermione. What do you think he felt then?" Ginny whispered furiously. They had reached the Dormitories by now.

"Muffliato," said Hermione, pointing her wand at the door. "I can't believe you're taking _his _side in this!"

"No, I'm not taking any sides! I know you feel hurt by his lack of admission, Hermione, but you need to give him a chance to open up. He asked you out, didn't he? Obviously he doesn't just think of you as a fuck-buddy. For now, go to lunch, and afterwards, have a word with Harry." Ginny said, her eyes blazing.

"I'm not hungry. No, Ginny, he's Slytherin's Prince. Why should he care for a _mudblood_ like me? What if he's just led me on? I took it all in, _knowing_ his past, how cruel he used to be to me, to Harry and Ron, to you. I still hopped into bed with him, spent the night with him. How did I know he wasn't just faking it all? After everything in our past, _why_ should I trust him? _Why_ should I persevere with him? _Why_ should I open up to him when he doesn't return the favour?" Hermione was barely coherent when she stopped talking, tears still steadily streaming from her eyes.

Ginny made an exasperated noise. "Oh, and my word means nothing in this? I've been sleeping with Blaise since before the summer, Hermione. Blaise told me how long Drake's fancied you. Do you want to know how long? Since the _Yule Ball!_ Nearly two years, he's fancied you. I think he's even grown to love you in his own strange way. And you refuse to believe it for a second. Hermione, I don't know where this has come from, really! You were ecstatic when you crawled back in this morning, over the moon. And now you're full of doubts."

Hermione was engulfed in a soft, floral scent as Ginny hugged her. Ginny fished a clean, dry handkerchief from Hermione's bedside table. Hermione clutched her best friend, trying to get all the tears out of her while she could. "Oh Ginny, I'm so scared of it all. I'm a Gryffindor and he's a Slytherin. We're… we're chalk and cheese, Gin. I like him too much, and after everything, I really don't know what to trust anymore."

"Trust your heart, and if that fails you, I will hex him until he's nothing more than a slug creeping across the floor. Hermione, you're my best friend and I won't let him hurt you, not now, not ever. Do you really think that if I disapproved, I'd have let you see him in the first place? Besides, Blaise has been assuring me for months that Draco feels something for you. Something more than he even knew was possible. Right, you should go and talk to Harry, if you're going to." Ginny said, smiling sadly. She hugged Hermione one last time, and she drew her strength from the hug.

"Thank you, Ginny," Hermione said, "I appreciate all you do for me, you know that? But yes, I'll go and find Harry. See you later?"

"Of course you will. Go on, go."

Hermione stood, making sure she had her wand to hand. She walked down the stairs and poked her head around the door to the boys' dorms. She was surprised to see Harry there, thinking he'd be hiding. He opened his green eyes and stared at her as she sat down on Ron's bed. They stared at each other for a full minute.

"Hello Hermione. I wondered when you would come." Harry finally said. Hermione noted that he sounded tired, not unkind.

"I had to have a talk with Ginny. She incarcerated me after telling me what you did, so I wouldn't come to attack you." Hermione spoke as calmly as Harry had, determined not to lose her temper.

"I see. So why are you here now, if there is the possibility of your harming me?"

"I won't touch you unless you give me reason to, Harry. Now, I have to know, why would you try to attack Ginny?"

"I'm sorry for that, if you and she could ever be able to believe that. I think my Firewhisky was spiked, Hermione. But the feelings, the ideas beneath are true. I know you will both get hurt, Hermione. Once a person becomes Death Eater, they are in it for life, whether their master is dead or not." Harry said, sitting up in his bed.

"Harry, how many times do I have to tell you? Draco Malfoy is not a Death Eater. He was never a Death Eater, because if he was, he'd have the Dark Mark, wouldn't he?"

"Well, yeah, he would!" Harry was raising his voice.

Hermione laughed cruelly. "Let's talk about what's really going on here, shall we Harry?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He looked away.

"Really, Harry? Hmm, I wonder where to start? Oh yes. You know what Ginny and I are doing? And what is that, Harry?"

"You're sleeping with Malfoy! And Ginny, I know she's shagging Blaise fucking Zabini. Why him, Hermione? Why would you two do something like that?" Harry shouted, burying his head in his hands. He looked up suddenly, his eyes like fire. "You're like my sister, but you're with _him_? What about Ron? He's in love with you!"

"Ron hasn't shown me that he feels any such thing. As far as I knew, he was in love with Lavender Brown! But don't you pretend this is about me. There are two flaws in the entire situation Harry! Draco-"

"_Draco_? Did you just call him _Draco_?"

"Yes, I did! The problem is your ever constant suspicion of _Draco_. I know he used to be an arsehole. I know that better than anyone, because hey, I'm a mudblood!" Hermione shrieked. Harry flinched back, but she carried on. "But this isn't even about Draco and I or anything that's happening between us. This is about Ginny!"

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked, suddenly calm, as opposed to Hermione, whose face was as red as the hangings around Harry's bed.

"I've seen how you look at her. I saw how you were looking at her all summer! But Blaise Zabini got there first Harry!" Hermione quieted, settling her voice into a calm, conversational tone. "She's been seeing Blaise long before the summer holidays started, Harry. I can tell Blaise loves her, perhaps more than you do. But do you really think she will be sympathetic to you if you attack her? Harry, I love you. You're the brother I never had. However, you really need to let it go. I know you're angry about our, that is to say, mine and Ginny's choices. But it has nothing to do with you."

"Hermione, I don't want to see either of you get hurt. You mean so much to me, both of you."

"I know, Harry, but you went about it completely the wrong way. I trust you to do the right thing. Don't let me down. Oh, and I forgive you, by the way. Let's just hope that Ginny can do the same." Hermione sat next to Harry on his bed and enclosed him in her arms. He returned the embrace, apologising again and again. "Shall I get her? Oh, could I borrow your Invisibility Cloak?"

Harry nodded his consent. Hermione grabbed the cloak and threw it over herself before leaving Harry's dorm. She saw one green eye wink at her and she hurried to Ginny. She relayed Harry's request and walked down with her, letting her walk in on her own. Hermione carried on, out of the Gryffindor Tower. She didn't like what she was about to do, but she carried on walking to the dungeons anyway.

By sheer luck, Hermione found herself behind Millicent Bulstrode as she snuck down into the dungeons. She cleared her conscience, knowing it would be detected by the Slytherin entrance. She found herself inside a large, circular room. Everything was emerald green, silver, or black. She was surprised at its beauty. _Focus Hermione_, she thought to herself. Hermione searched the room for Draco's pale, sharp face, or at least for his white-blonde hair. There was no sign of him anywhere in the room.

"You shouldn't be here, Granger."


	7. Unmasked

**Blaise Zabini's POV: **I thought I'd mix it up a little and throw in a little scheme in here. I called it Unmasked, because Hermione is unmasked (well, un_cloaked_) and there is a little plot that is unmasked. So yeah, thought it may be appropriate.

* * *

><p>Hermione Granger squeaked as Blaise muttered in her ear. He jabbed her in the back with his wand, pushing her towards the Slytherin boy's dorms. She was pushed even further underground as the Slytherin's dorms were underneath the Castle. As soon as they were out of sight of the other Slytherin students, Blaise hissed in her ear again. "What the <em>fuck<em> do you think you're doing here? You've got some nerve showing your face in _our_ Common Room, _especially_ after how you ran out on Draco earlier!"

"I was coming to apologise. I didn't think about what I was doing. I just… I really needed to see Draco, to apologise for earlier. Blaise, I'm sorry." Granger was stammering. He heard a scuffling sound as she tripped over her own feet, and the momentary flash of her legs when the Invisibility Cloak slipped off of her.

Blaise gripped her arm, catching her when she fell. She pulled the Cloak straight, so she was fully concealed again. "You shouldn't have come here, Granger!"

"You keep saying that. Where's Draco? I… hang on, how did you even know I was here?"

"I _smelled_ you, of course! You smell like Draco, but like chocolate and vanilla at the same time." Blaise said, pushing her into the room he shared with Draco, Theo and another boy who had been expelled. Now it was just the three friends that shared the room.

Granger drew a sharp breath when she saw Draco asleep on the bed. However, Blaise knew that Draco was an incredibly light sleeper and he'd have woken up to the commotion outside. He was, as usual, correct.

"Hermione, _what_ are you doing here?" Draco said furiously, once she'd revealed herself.

"I smelled her out," said Blaise, tapping his nose. "She was in the Common Room, just standing there. Looking for you, I suppose."

"Draco, I'm so sorry. I had to come and see you, though. I shouldn't have said that to you earlier." Draco's new _girlfriend_ trailed off, looking tearful.

"We can't talk about this now. Will you still meet me later? After dinner, like we agreed? You need to get out of here Hermione. You are not safe here. Blaise, please get her out of here." Blaise nodded to his friend, and he could understand his terror. Slytherin House was the only place in the entire castle that Granger was truly in danger.

"Put the bloody Cloak back on!" Blaise said, while she rushed forward to kiss Draco quickly and tenderly. "Walk next to me, I will try to keep you as far away from the others as I can. Granger, you must never come here again, do you understand?"

"I get it Blaise. I won't come here again."

Blaise walked next to her, making an excuse about the Library for anyone who asked. They nearly got caught coming out of the Common Room, but Blaise managed to get Granger to the Library quickly and safely. As they walked to one of the more concealed aisles, she whipped off the Cloak, stuffing it in a pocket.

"Why am I in such danger, Blaise? The type that even you fear?"

"Because you snuck into another House when the students of that House despise you and your friends, yes, including Ginevra, beyond any type of rationality. There have been several plots to curse you in particular, Granger. _Unforgivable_ curses. They see you as Slytherin's biggest threat, despite your friend's fame. _The Boy Who Lived_," Blaise hissed venomously.

"What? I'm a _mudblood_, Zabini. Why should they care enough to feel threatened by me?"

"The only person that has even a hint of rivalling you, intellectually, is Draco. Everyone knows it was your intellect that helped Potter to stop the Dark Lord once and for all. The Slytherin's are both angry and afraid of your talent. Walking into the Slytherin Common Room was really stupid for someone as smart as you!"

"I know, Blaise. I really didn't know the Slytherin's felt like _that_!" Granger gasped, looking stupidly shocked. Blaise rolled his eyes, while Granger narrowed hers. "But you detach yourself from them Zabini. Do you not have the same values as they do?"

"Of course I do, but I learnt before the Dark Lord was vanquished for good that I had to change my way of life. I find myself quite different to most of the others, though I pretend to be just like them. I… what's that muggle phrase? Oh yes, I keep up appearances. It's safer for me. Draco and I are best friends; we have started to appreciate each other's values. I am the reason he finally requested a meeting with you! Hermione, we are not like the others. Haven't you noticed how closed off Draco is compared to the rest of Slytherin House, aside from Theodore Nott and I. And even Theo hasn't come round to our side of thinking."

"So that's why you stopped being so arrogant. I noticed that the both of you seriously toned down the discrimination. Draco stopped running round calling everyone mudblood and you started talking to those who weren't pure-blood, or at least blood traitors, in the case of Ginny."

"You must understand… Hermione, that though Slytherin may seem like a united front in beliefs, we are not. There are those who still swear allegiance to the Dark Lord, and those of us who pretend to, but really swear our allegiance to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Yes, I know about that. I need to go. Tell Ginevra that I will talk to her soon. Go back to Gryffindor Tower, and don't try and sneak back down to Slytherin again: you may not get out unscathed next time."

Granger nodded, and Blaise swept from the Library, walking back down to the Dungeons as fast as he could without attracting attention. He threw himself down on his bed when he got back into the boys rooms.

"You told her." Draco said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I did. I thought she had a right to know. After all, some of the plots against her are truly dangerous. Oh, and next Hogsmeade weekend, don't say too much about Hermione, or any plans regarding anything other than revision in front of Rosmerta. I heard that she has been placed under the Imperius Curse, and she is ready to relay any information she can gather to your aunt." Blaise said, flashing him a plain warning look.

"I understand Blaise. Thank you for telling me. My Aunt Bellatrix hasn't given up on Voldemort yet. She is certain that he will return. I don't believe he will, do you?"

"I am unsure. We should, however, talk about Granger. What is going on between you two? She put both of you in danger, by coming here to reconcile. You should have told her sooner, Draco!" Blaise berated his friend, watching Draco's pallid cheeks turn pink.

"I know. I will talk with her tonight. I have no idea why she ran out on me earlier, and I am determined to find out. Thank you for everything, my friend. I know things wouldn't have worked out as well as they did without you here."

"You are welcome. Just don't expect me to do it again. You'd better make sure she doesn't come back here again. If you're going to meet somewhere other than the Room of Requirement, at least let it be Gryffindor Tower, or an empty classroom. Hell, even one of the secret passageways! She could get hurt, and if she does, neither one of us will be forgiven."

"I get it Blaise. Will you stop going on about it? She knows, I know, everyone fucking knows. I need sleep if I'm going to be with her tonight. Not to mention, I still have to finish Snape's essay." Draco rolled over and fell asleep, Blaise swiftly following suit.

Blaise dreamed of only one thing: Ginny Weasley.

It was perfect.

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><p><strong>Please, give me more feedback. I love hearing from you, so please review with suggestions, likes and dislikes. Thanks! :)<strong>


	8. Speechless

Draco walked alongside Blaise, both of them lost in their own thoughts.

"Draco, she's not at Gryffindor table." Blaise interrupted his thoughts as they walked into the Great Hall for dinner.

"Who isn't there?"

"Both of them; neither Hermione nor Ginny are there." Blaise muttered. If the students knew, all hell would break loose. Draco thought for a minute.

"Blaise, what's the time?" Draco asked. Perhaps the girls had finished already. The Hall _was_ looking a little empty.

"It's precisely 8:19pm. By the looks on both Potter and Weasley's faces, they haven't come down yet. Dinner will be finished soon."

Draco sighed and served himself some noodles. There was an Oriental themed meal tonight, and as usual, the food was delicious. Suddenly, the main course vanished and a range of desserts appeared in their place. Draco saw some pumpkin soufflé, and immediately dug in. When he was certain he couldn't eat anymore, Draco rose from the table, downing the rest of his water. Blaise nodded at him, and with that, Draco strode out of the Great Hall.

He received several odd looks as he walked up to the Seventh Floor. The Fat Lady of Gryffindor narrowed her eyes at him as he walked past her. He gave her a bright smile and walked on. He approached the Room and was shocked to see that the door was there. He reached out a tentative hand and turned the handle of the door.

"Hello Draco," said Hermione, her bare back to him. In fact, she was completely bare apart from some very sexy stiletto heels, and in the process of putting on some saucy lingerie. Her wand swished, and a pretty screen protected Hermione from Draco's eyes.

Draco instead analysed his surroundings. The Room was decorated in dark red, silver and black. It was a very romantic, but altogether sexy atmosphere. A glint of silver caught his eye as his head turned around the room. It was a pole, mounted on a small black, circular stage. Draco swallowed nervously. He looked for somewhere to sit, and found a plush armchair in the shadows of the small room. There was also a huge bed on the other side of the room, with black and silver curtains around it for privacy. Draco raised his eyebrows at a muffled giggle behind the screen.

He conjured a small table and drew a bottle of Firewhisky from his pocket.

Hermione cleared her throat. Draco nearly dropped the Firewhisky, so he put it on the conjured table. He was rendered speechless by her appearance – everything about her was mesmerising. She smirked, her painted red lips curving sexily. Draco swallowed again. He didn't know where to look first!

Hermione's hair was tamed into soft waves, the fire making honey tones appear in her chocolate coloured hair, which was parted away from her face, and left to shimmer down her back. Her eyes were lined with black Kohl, and her lashes were made to appear thicker and longer with mascara. As usual, her skin was creamy and flawless, freckles lightly dotting the bridge of her nose. Her lips were the same colour as the walls – a deep red wine colour. Draco took a shuddering breath and carried on his evaluation. She was wearing a black lace bra, and her breasts were smoothly embraced by the soft fabric cups. Her flat stomach and gently curving hips were shown off, only cut off by some small, lacy underpants that matched her bra. Black stockings framed her long legs, which seemed ever longer by her patent leather stiletto heels. She walked forward, her hips swinging slightly.

"Cat got your tongue, Malfoy?" She purred. Draco shook his head, slightly dazed by the naughty vision before him. He swallowed again.

"You look… incredible."

"Do I?" Hermione asked, apparently uninterested in his answer.

"Hermione," croaked Draco, "Hermione. What is the pole for?"

Here, Hermione smiled, melting Draco's heart. "I'm glad you noticed that. Well some muggles dance, using these poles. I never have, for anyone before, but it's really good training. I come in here three times a week. It helps keep your body toned, and I find that it's very… erotic."

"Show me." Draco demanded. His mouth was dry again. He watched her, mesmerised, as she walked over to the little stage. She closed her eyes, lips slightly parted and music burst into the room. He didn't know the song, but he counted three beats before Hermione moved. She wrapped her legs around the pole, twisting and curving like nothing he'd ever seen before. Draco stared, not surprised that he was getting hard, seeing her 'dance' like this. The music cut out, switched to a slower, more romantic beat.

She twirled towards him, still moving in time to the music, stopping just in front of him. The chair he was sitting on suddenly became longer, like a sofa.

"Strip"

The command turned him from hard to unbreakable steel. He did as she bade, removing first his socks and shoes, then working on his shirt. He saw her chest hitch when he revealed the muscles of his upper body. She stared at him, her eyes fiery with lust. He removed the trousers too, standing in silver silk boxers.

The tip of Hermione's wand touched the fabric of her own pants. "Diffindo," she whispered. They came apart at the seams, falling to the floor in scraps as Draco tossed his boxers aside.

"Sit." Hermione commanded again. He settled himself into the sofa, glancing at the clock on the wall. 9:12pm. Hermione straddled him, making him gasp as she gently rubbed herself against him. He thrust upwards, desperate to be inside her. She slapped him. "No. I will do this on my terms, not yours."

"Please, Hermione. Please let me fuck you." Draco hoped that his crude begging would persuade her to stop the torture of her rubbing. Instead, she laughed and shook her head. He tried a different idea. He reached a hand to her back, unsnapping her bra. Her breasts fell out of the lace. He caressed both of them, rolling her nipples between his fingers, pinching them. She squirmed under his hands, and her nails scratched down his chest, leaving light gouges in his skin.

"Draco!" She gasped when his fingers trailed downwards and started playing with her pearly nub. She slid upwards and fell back down when he was in perfect alignment with her. They both cried out when he filled her. She shifted slightly to allow him to go even deeper inside her. She started to move up and down upon him, and he thrust in time to her movements. He continued to rub her clit as they thrust together and with a final call of his name, Hermione collapsed on top of him. She regained composure and continued to bounce upon him, determined to bring him to the edge.

"_Hermione_" Draco cried as he came inside of her. They sat there on the sofa for a few minutes in silence, unable to say a thing. Draco absentmindedly stroked little patterns in her back while they attempted recovery.

"Cat got your tongue?" Hermione teased, kissing him. She lightly bit his tongue and he chuckled. His arms wound around her and they sat, embracing in silence for another ten minutes.

"Hermione… I need to tell you something." Draco muttered, unsure of how to proceed. Hermione sat upright immediately.

"Yes, Draco, what is it?" Hermione asked, sounding pained. Draco stroked her cheek with one hand, marvelling at her beauty. She sighed and leant into him. He took a deep breath.

"You ran out on me earlier, Hermione, because I hadn't admitted any feelings to you after you already had. I understand why, and trust me; I forgive everything after what we just did. But the thing is I was too scared to admit that…"

"Admit what, Draco?" Hermione asked when Draco paused. He looked at her apologetically.

"This is so hard to say Hermione. I'll start at the beginning of this madness. I remember seeing you at the Yule Ball with Krum and feeling a stab of jealousy in my stomach. And then when I heard you crying after your argument with Weasley, all I wanted to do was comfort you. I thought I was ill! I wanted to admit myself to St Mungo's!" Draco said. A disgusted half smile curved his lips. He peeked up at Hermione to see her reaction.

"Go on, Draco, I'm listening." She whispered, her fingers twining with his. His heart fluttered at her touch. He swallowed again, trying to find the will to carry on.

"Then we entered 5th Year, and we were all being pressured because of our O.. We saw more of each other because we're prefects. We got separated even more so than usual because of Umbridge, after that. So can you imagine how I felt, getting to talk to you, even if only to dock points when I became a member of the Inquisitorial Squad. However, any points I took away from you, I soon gave back, muttering under my breath when I was near you. Of course, you were doing well to earn them back anyway. Then Umbridge caught wind of _Dumbledore's Army_.

"So naturally I was thrilled when_ I_ managed to catch _you_. I got to touch you, hold you against me. It almost killed me though, that I had to do it against your will, and that I had to hurt you. I happily took Ginny's Bat Bogey Hex, because it enabled your freedom. Blaise however, was most annoyed. He had watched me closely from that first moment at the Yule Ball, he could tell that I had… inappropriate feelings for you. He's such a hypocrite though, seeing as he started shagging Ginny." Draco snorted then, and Hermione jumped. She had been mesmerised by his tale. She shook her head, and Draco breathed in her Chocolate and Vanilla scent.

"Then what happened?"

"Well, we broke up for the summer. Blaise was highly annoyed because he wasn't going to see Ginny for over a month, though I saw him regularly. When we were on the train coming back, Blaise told us about the meeting in Slughorn's compartment. I couldn't bring myself to go to the Prefect's carriage, because I was trying to ignore your existence. I was trying to get over my feelings for you. Well, Parkinson tried to get a rise out of Blaise by mentioning Ginny's name. While he insulted her, I watched his face. Only I saw the flicker of anger and pain in his eyes. We got back to Hogwarts, and life as normal, it seemed. Blaise desperately tried to convince me to talk to you, but I refused time and time again."

"Why? Did you not want to see me, or talk to me?" Hermione asked carefully.

Draco smiled at her. "Of course I did! But you're a _Gryffindor_, Hermione, and I'm a Slytherin. We're not meant to do anything but hate each other. Anyway, a month passed, and after his badgering, I finally decided to request a meeting with you. And we both know how _that_ turned out, don't we?"

Hermione clutched his hand, smiling. Her eyes filled with happy tears. Draco grinned back at her, pulling her close to him. They moved so that they were lying on the sofa, cuddling.

"I'm not even finished yet!" Draco chuckled again. "Well, I said I had to admit something, and I haven't. Not yet. Hermione, I can't stop thinking about you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you for the past two years. At first I thought I was ill. Then I realised I started to like you. It's like Amortentia – the longer I try to avoid you, the stronger my feelings become. These past two days have been heaven for me. I… Oh Slytherin's bones! Hermione, I am in love with you."

Draco stared at Hermione, who had leapt up while her face went through varying stages of shock. Finally a blinding smile lit her face. Her mouth opened as if to say something.

Then she fainted.

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><p><strong>I thought it would be funny to have Hermione faint at some point, and I thought it would be nice to round off the confusion about feelings, so I linked them together in this chapter. <strong>

**As usual, give me a review. Tell me what you like, or dislike, and any suggestions for future chapters!**


	9. Overwhelmed

**I would like to say a really big thank you to everyone who reviewed - yes, even samsbk! I would like to say an extra special enormous thank you to _The Beauty Within Me_ for standing up for me - you didn't have to do it, and I am so grateful. All your reviews mean so much to me, and I'm grateful to you all. I'm gonna stop wasting your time now, so you can read this chapter!**

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><p>"Hermione, wake up! Please, Hermione, can you hear me?" Draco sounded so worried. His voice was hoarse, as though he'd been talking for a long, long time. Hermione tried to open her eyes, but it was so difficult. Her fingers twitched in Draco's hand. "Hermione, are you awake? Say something, please! Come on, Hermione, bloody wake up!"<p>

Hermione swallowed, trying to moisten her mouth. Draco was still trying to make her wake up. She spoke the first words to come to her lips. "Draco, shut up!"

"Hermione, oh thank Slytherin's soul!" Draco cried, kissing her on the head.

"Draco, please just be quiet." Hermione groaned. She had a killer headache. She wished more than anything that she was in her bed in Gryffindor Tower. She groaned again and cautiously opened a mahogany eye. The Room looked almost exactly how Hermione had decorated it, except the Pole and its stage and the squashy sofa were gone, as was the spindly little table Draco had conjured.

"You've been unconscious for a while, petal, you had me scared. I was about to carry you to Madam Pomfrey, even with how you're dressed now." Draco laughed, relieved that she was awake. Hermione groped around and discovered that she was in the bed. She peeked under the covers to find she was only wearing her thigh high stockings.

"How long was I out for? Could you get me some water?" Hermione asked, only now aware how painfully dry her throat was. It felt like someone had thrust a knife down her throat. She vaguely heard Draco call for Dobby, and then a _crack_ sounded through the room.

"Miss Hermione, what service is Dobby needed for?" The small house elf climbed upon the bed, peering at her, analysing her. "Master Draco shouldn't have tried to mend your head himself." He said reproachfully.

"What are you talking about Dobby? And could you get me some water and a sandwich, please?" Hermione said. She felt her head with her hand, searching for the spot where she felt the most pain. Her fingers brushed a point above her temple and she winced.

"I will bring another house elf, Ester, who heals wounds. And I will bring you some food, Hermione." Dobby said, bowing low to both Hermione and Draco and then he disapparated out of the Room.

"Draco… Draco, what happened to me?" Hermione watched as Draco's face fell. She thought back. She remembered the sex. That was fantastic. She remembered Draco telling her about the first time he realised he truly liked her, and the progression of time and events leading up to the present moment.

"What do you remember?" Draco asked quietly. He was looking anywhere but her. Hermione opened her mouth to answer him when Dobby reappeared with another little house elf, who was draped in robes.

"Hermione, this is Ester. She will heal your head and give you your robes. And here is some food for you and Master Draco." Dobby smiled at Hermione and asked if she needed anything else. Hermione politely refused, so Dobby gave her another deep bow and disapparated from the room. Ester patted at her head, and Hermione was looking in the mirror at the spot where the gash had been only minutes before. There was no evidence that she had been hurt at all, except for a mild ache above her temple. She looked around for the tray Dobby had brought up. There were a small stack of sandwiches, two bottles of Butterbeer, a jug of water with two goblets, and two large slices of chocolate cake.

"Draco, come and sit with me. I'd rather not eat alone," smiled Hermione. Draco smiled back, though it didn't reach his eyes. He sat next to her in the bed, only wearing his boxers. They ate in silence, and Hermione felt brilliant after their shared meal. She hesitated once they'd finished.

"Is something wrong, petal?" Draco asked, kissing her on the cheek.

"What happened before I collapsed?"

"Well, I sort of told you something." Draco said sheepishly. Hermione poked him, trying to get him to continue. He fell silent.

"What is it then? What did you say to make me faint?" Hermione demanded. She sighed to herself. It must have been bad if he wouldn't repeat it again. She peeked at him under her lashes. He looked sad and worried at the same time. Hermione raised her head and stared at him. _He'll back down before I will_, she thought smugly. She watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

"I'm going to repeat what I said, but please don't faint again." Draco said wearily. She grinned at him as he took her hand. She found herself lost in his soft grey eyes. He cleared his throat. "Well, Hermione… I am in love with you."

Hermione felt sheer shock flood through her. No wonder she'd fainted. Merlin's beard! Draco Lucius Malfoy was in _love_ with _her_? She felt the blood drain out of her face, and presumably her head as she struggled to keep composure. Draco stared at her, watching her face drain of all colour.

"Hermione, please say something."

"No wonder I bloody fainted!" Hermione gasped. She looked at Draco again. He had a tense smile on his face. She took a deep breath and desperately tried to regain composure. The hand that wasn't holding Draco's was desperately clutching the bed sheets next to her thigh. She took another deep breath and waited until she was calm enough to say something rational before speaking again. "Draco. I am sorry for how I reacted the first time you told me this, and I came very close to fainting again when you told me just now. This is just such a huge shock for me. I didn't expect… it felt like too soon, Draco."

"So… what are you saying here, Hermione?" Draco asked, his voice much too even. A muggle phrase flashed through her head: _the calm before a storm_.

"I'm saying… I don't know what I'm saying. You – you can't just say something like that to me. We only even admitted we liked each other_ yesterday_. I need time. This is going too fast, Draco, and my head feels like it's going to explode. I need a break. I-I'll get back to you." Hermione leapt out of the bed and threw her robes on. She gathered up her clothes in her arms.

"I can't believe you're running away from me! You're a _Gryffindor_! You're meant to be _brave_! But you're not – you're scared of how I feel for you, Hermione. Well, I've just come to terms with it and I won't be afraid of it anymore. I love you. You mark my words, Hermione Granger; you'll come back to me!" Draco cried, jumping up out of the bed and running after her. He caught her around her waist and she shrieked like a tea-kettle.

"Let me go Draco Malfoy! _Let me go!_" Hermione screamed. Draco didn't comply. "Please, Draco. This isn't over, I swear! I just need some time! I will come back to you, at some point, but this is too much, too soon. Please, please, please just let me go." Hermione started sobbing and Draco released her like he'd been scorched.

"Hermione…" he started. He took a breath, and tried again. "I-I'll wait for you. I won't give up, I swear on my powers. What am I going to do without you now that I've had you?"

"The same thing you did before," whispered Hermione as she cupped his cheek with her hand. "Why don't you work on that thing? The one you were going to use to talk to me?"

Draco nodded and bowed his head. Hermione gathered up her clothes, and took one last, painful look at him. She was facing his back, and her eyes traced the marks that her nails left. They were still relatively fresh, like the love bites on her chest. Her eyes welled up as she left the Room of Requirement. She felt numb as she walked into Gryffindor Tower. She felt several pairs of eyes on her as she walked almost robotically to the girls' dormitories. She threw her clothes on the chair next to her bed and her shoes in the closet. She found her favourite pyjamas, a lavender cotton top that fell to the middle of her thighs and some cream coloured cotton pyjama pants. She pulled her robes over her head, put the pyjamas on, removed her make-up and drew her hair back into a French plait.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Ginny whispered. She came into the dormitory just as Hermione was climbing into bed. Hermione's eyes filled with tears again. She shook her head. Ginny climbed into the big bed with Hermione, her pyjamas already on. She hugged Hermione, and said "tell me, honey, tell me all about it."

"Well, at first it was great. We had mind-blowing sex, and we sat there talking. He told me that he started fancying me since the Yule Ball, after he saw me with Viktor Krum, you remember him, right? He said he was so jealous of Viktor for being with me, and that he wanted to comfort me after I had that argument with Ron. He was telling me everything. Then he told me he loved me. And I fainted." Hermione stopped as Ginny burst into peals of laughter.

"You _fainted_? I don't blame you, really. Draco Malfoy said the L word?" Ginny gasped, tears streaming from her eyes. Hermione sniffed. "Sorry, please, do go on."

"Well, I woke up in bed, and Draco got Dobby and Ester – another house elf – to fix my head and bring food. At this point, I couldn't remember why I fainted. Anyway, my head got patched up, I ate, and Draco told me why it was I fainted. He told me again, and I nearly fainted for a second time! And then I pulled myself together and told him that we had to go on a break. It's been too much, too soon. I feel like my head is about to explode, Ginny. I just need time."

Ginny looked at her thoughtfully. She gazed at Hermione's face and then pulled her into another hug. "I know you wouldn't have done that unless you felt you absolutely had to, Hermione. I know you like him, and I can understand why you feel overwhelmed. Do you think you'll go back to him?"

"I don't think I have a choice," admitted Hermione helplessly. "I felt awful when I left him there. I think I'll have to go back to make myself feel better. It's not just because of the guilt I feel, but because it was actually painful for me to tear myself away from him like that."

"You need to sleep, Hermione. I'll be here for you in the morning." Ginny climbed out of Hermione's bed, and smoothed down the covers on the bed. Hermione nodded, a few more tears leaking from her eyes before she settled further in her bed and let the darkness overwhelm her.

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><p><strong>Please, as usual, tell me what you like or dislike. I really appreciate all your reviews (if you couldn't tell from the message above!), so please do give me some!<strong>


	10. Solitude

**Another big thank you for all the reviews - I'm glad that I'm doing something right! I called this chapter Solitude, because all Draco wants is to be left alone, though nobody seems to let him. I'll let you read on for now though.**

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><p>Draco felt like his entire body had been turned to ice. He was barely aware of putting his clothes back on and leaving the Room of Requirement, he just needed to get away from Hermione's dismissal. <em>Come on, Draco, it's not as bad as it seems<em>, he thought to himself. He still felt like an ice sculpture.

"Draco," Blaise Zabini interrupted his thoughts. Draco looked at his surroundings. He was in his bed in the Slytherin dorms. How did he end up there? He and Blaise were the only ones in the dorms tonight, and Blaise was sitting on his bed.

"Not now, Blaise. I'm not in the mood."

"I know what happened. Ginevra told me. Your Hermione is quite torn up over it, you know. But I agree with the ladies - you shouldn't have said that. It was far too soon for her."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU FUCKING THINK ZABINI! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!" Draco roared. He drew his wand when Blaise didn't move. "I will hex you if you don't move." Draco warned, surprisingly calmly.

"No you won't," said Zabini. He simply made himself more comfortable. "Now, I have to ask: what would possess _you_ of all people to tell Hermione Granger that you love her. Whether it's true or not, you don't say that to someone after two fucking days. You're as dim-witted as a fucking Mountain Troll."

"Fuck off Zabini," muttered Draco darkly. "All I want to do is sleep. It's not like I'm about to chuck myself off of the Astronomy Tower."

"Oh, I'll let you sleep for now, ferret, but tomorrow, you will answer." Draco felt the mattress lift when Zabini got his own arse into his own bloody bed. He rolled over and fell asleep, though it was probably the most restless night of his life.

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><p>Draco woke up for what felt like the thousandth time that night, only this time, Blaise was perched on the end of his bed again, staring at him with an unfathomable expression on his face.<p>

"What do you want?" Draco groaned, attempting to kick Blaise off of his bed. Naturally, it failed. Draco sighed. Was _nothing_ going to go right for him?

"For you to explain why you told her you loved her. Overkill, there. Do you really blame her for running away?"

"Answer me this: how the hell did Ginny Weasley tell you so fast?"

"Two-way mirrors; they're incredibly rare. There were only three pairs made. Each pair is unique though, so the owner of one set couldn't talk to the owner of another of a different set. I gave Ginny one at the end of last year. That's how we kept in contact all summer. I say her name into it, and we can talk, no matter how far apart we are. It's brilliant magic, really. I answered yours, you answer mine." Blaise said, shrugging.

Draco thought for a minute. A two way mirror! If he could figure out that magic he needed for that, he'd be able to make the pendants he was thinking about. He searched in his bedside cabinet for a spare bit of parchment, and the… pencil… he'd bought from a muggle stationer. He started sketching a design. A dragon could be the symbol on his, for his name, perhaps entwined around a D. He could have the letter H on the back, for Hermione. He thought about hers. He'd taken to calling her 'Petal', so perhaps a pretty flower resting on the H, with a D on the back for his name. He made a note to research the magic behind them. If all else failed, he supposed he could go to Dumbledore for information. Or even Flitwick, as it was a charm of some sort.

"Hello, Draco, is anyone home in there? Stop scribbling on your parchment with… what is that?"

"That is a pencil. Muggle invention, but actually quite useful for adding detail where quills cannot. I'm sorry for ignoring you, but your two-way mirrors set the ball rolling on an idea I had. I wanted a way to converse with Hermione whenever I wanted, much the same way as the mirrors work. I had the idea of lockets, but then thought pendants would be better. I was just sketching out some ideas. I thought that if I could figure out the magic, I would be able to make them. Obviously, I would have one, and she would have the other. Here, have a look." Draco said, thrusting the parchment into Blaise's hand.

Blaise scoured the parchment, nodding encouragingly every few seconds. "Altogether, it's a very good idea. What were your plans for communication? You said you wanted to be able to talk to her. How would you go about doing that?"

Draco sighed in relief. He was back on familiar ground, though he desperately tried to ignore the ache in his heart when he thought of Hermione. "Hmm, well, I thought that maybe I could find a way for us to talk telepathically. Not reading all the thoughts, only those she specifically tells me. It would be almost entirely like a conversation, only completely private – whether we were alone or not. I thought maybe I could stroke the Dragon, which would then make the flower grow warm and vice versa."

"I don't know if you could really pull that off. I suppose you should have a look in the library for Charms book. Perhaps one of those would give you some indication to the kind of spells you would need to use. If not, you should probably talk to Flitwick." Blaise's forehead wrinkled. "It's really a very ambitious, perhaps very clever idea, but it will be very difficult."

"I know. But I want to do this. Maybe it will take my mind off of _her_." Draco sighed. His eyes burned again, threatening tears. He tried desperately to regain composure, and managed it sooner than he thought.

"No it won't, Draco, because you're doing it for her sake. You're doing it because she told you to do it. If anything, you'll be thinking about her more and more. But you go ahead with it, if you think it will help you."

Blaise rose and left the Dormitory, heading upstairs to the Common Room. Draco put his parchment and pencil back in the drawer, sighing. He threw himself back into the mattress and closed his eyes, though he wasn't drawn into the relief that sleep could provide. He sat up again, dragging on some robes. He was going to have a nice long bath in the pool of a tub on the fifth floor. He caught sight of himself in a mirror. Draco's hair was dishevelled, not combed back as he normally wore it. His face was even paler than usual, and there were dark rings beneath his eyes, due to his lack of sleep. He gave another deep sigh and set off for the Prefect's bathroom.

"Where are you going, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson asked, stepping in front of the entrance to the Slytherin Dorms.

"It's really none of your business, Parkinson. Now please get out of my way." Draco said, pinning her with a glare that spelt trouble. His hand strayed to his wand in his robes, and she stepped out of his way.

Draco walked briskly up to the fifth floor, ignoring everyone and everything in his path. He finally stopped by the wall on the other side of the bathroom. He pressed the brick that had a picture of a bath carved into it, and walked through the wall. He was greeted by a cavernous room with beautiful stained glass windows on the back wall. The bathtub itself was three times the size of a regular pool, and there were seven rows of taps that almost looked like a fountain. He pointed his wand at them and each row of taps let out a stream of water, all in different colours. When the bathtub was nearly full of steaming water, Draco stripped off, putting his robes in a little locker. He pointed his wand at his face and cast the bubble-head charm, stowing his wand underneath his robes.

Draco ran towards the tub and dived in gracefully. The scalding water hit every millimetre of Draco's skin, but Draco didn't mind. He liked the heat, and it gave him something physical and very real to take his mind off the troubles in his life. He was perfectly capable of breathing, thanks to the charm, so he swam to the bottom of the pool, choosing to simply sit on the smooth floor. He revered the sound of the water swirling around him, and the feel of the heat on his pale skin. He looked around him, the water strangely clear, although many different colours were added to the water. Draco closed his eyes, feeling almost elated to finally be alone.

The echo of a splash made the water vibrate slightly, and Draco's eyes flew open. He squinted to the other end of the bathtub, and saw a pair of slim legs gently kicking at the water. Draco uncrossed his legs and pushed, using the base of the bath to propel himself to the surface. He emerged from the layer of bubbles coating the surface of the water, and his bubble-head charm burst. He heard a gasp from the other end of the pool. Draco's head snapped towards the sound. Another prefect was here. _Great_, Draco thought, _I just can't have _any_ time to myself_. He looked at the other prefect and felt his heart break.

"Hermione," he whispered. He felt a drop of water slide down his cheek, though he couldn't tell if it was the bath water dripping from his hair, or a tear. They both clung to the edge of the huge bathtub, Hermione near the door, and Draco just underneath the taps. Hermione and Draco both stared at each other for a full minute. Hermione's face was flushed, and Draco couldn't help but realise all over again just how beautiful she really was.

Draco drew in a sharp breath and swam over to the edge of the bath closest to the door… and Hermione.

"Draco," Hermione said softly, and her voice broke. Draco squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to ignore her presence. He put his hands on the stone floor and pushed himself up, turning away from Hermione to get a fluffy white towel with a green serpent embroidered into the corner.

Draco dried himself off as quickly as possible, pulling his robes back on and stuffing his wand back into his pocket. He heard a muffled sob behind him, and he turned around to gaze at Hermione. Her hand was pressed to her mouth. He reached out a hand as if to comfort her and her head snapped up to meet his gaze. Draco drew his hand back, and gave her a sad smile. A whole, unspoken conversation passed between them, and finally, Draco turned and left the Prefect's bathroom.

His heart hurt just a little more when he remembered the tears streaming from her mahogany coloured eyes.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this Chapter - as usual, drop me a review! :)<strong>


	11. Supportive

**I decided to call this Chatper Supportive, because that is what Hermione's friends are, all throughout this Chapter. Please, do enjoy!**

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><p>Hermione let herself slide under the water, as soon as she saw the last scrap of Draco's robes follow him out of the door. Well, it wasn't a door on the other side; it was just a plain wall with a bathtub carved into one of the bricks. But on this side, it looked like a door. Hermione's oxygen started running out, so she kicked her way back to the surface. It didn't matter what she did, she was now incapable of getting the image of Draco's smile out of her head. It was a smile that showed her that she'd broken his heart, and that he was trying to be brave.<p>

_I still stand by it though_, thought Hermione as she washed her hair, _it was far too soon for me_. But she couldn't shake the feeling of regret that settled in her abdomen. She dunked her head under the water again, rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. She swam across the huge bathtub, trying to shake Draco out of her head. After an hour, she gave up. Thoughts of Draco Malfoy still clouded her mind. She got out of the bath, drying herself off using her wand, but leaving her hair damp and trailing down her back. She pulled her own robes back on and pointed her wand at the pool-like bath to empty it.

"Finally, I've been waiting for you for ages, Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed when Hermione threw herself in a chair by the fireplace in Gryffindor Common Room. "Where have you been?"

"I decided to take a nice soak in the Prefect's bath – clear my head, you know? But I sort of met Draco there." Hermione sighed, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them.

"I'm guessing it was complete chance that you ended up there at the same time." Ginny said softly.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. He'd gotten there first, of course. I didn't know he was there, because his locker was shut like it normally is. Then of course, he'd cast a bubble head charm and was casually just sitting at the bottom of the bath – no seriously, you haven't seen the size of the thing, have you? I'll take you later. Anyway, he emerged when I got in. He must have seen my legs underwater or something, but we just stared at each other for about a minute, until he swam over to my side of the bath and climbed out. Then he dried off, got dressed, and left."

"Oh, Hermione," said Ginny, "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I am. I feel guilty as hell, and I'm really starting to regret breaking things off, but I stand by my decision. Anyways, what's going on with you and Harry?"

"I haven't seen him much," her friend sighed, "but I decided to forgive him, on the basis that if he ever did it again, I would hex his balls off. He told me about the loving me thing, but I tried to let him down gently. He thanked me for my – wait for it – _lenience_, and asked if I could go. Of course I obliged, but I really hope that Harry and I can be friends again, without all of this ruining our chances."

"Harry's not that much of an idiot, Ginny. He values you more as a friend more than anything else, and I know that he has the utmost respect for you. He'll get over it soon, and in the meantime, he'll pretend that nothing ever happened. He may look it, but he's not stupid, Gin."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment, Hermione." Harry said, throwing himself on the floor next to Hermione's chair. She put her legs down properly and smiled warmly at her friend.

"Yeah, you do that." Hermione laughed. "How are things, Harry?"

"Not bad, not bad. How are the two of you?" He replied, tossing both girls a chocolate frog each.

"Thanks, Harry." Ginny interjected, catching the chocolate with one hand. "I'm not bad, now that we've gotten over the… problem we all had earlier. Hermione hasn't gotten off so lucky though. I think I should let her tell you though."

"What? What happened, Hermione?" Harry asked, his forehead crinkling with concern. Hermione reached a hand down and gently squeezed his shoulder.

"I broke things off with Draco."

"Why? I mean, that's if you don't mind telling me." He added hastily.

"Not at all," said Hermione. "Well it was all going swimmingly, after everything. But then I met him last night."

"Did he hurt you?" Harry interrupted.

"No, of course he didn't. We were talking, and he was telling me about the first time he started fancying me. Anyway, he decided to let slip that he loved me. And I fainted." At this point, Harry had burst out laughing, just as Ginny had. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and he fell silent. "Well, I hit my head when I fainted, so Dobby and Ester the house elf patched me up, left us some food and vanished back to the kitchens. I asked Draco why I had fainted, so he repeated what he said the first time. I nearly bloody fainted again, and then when I'd recovered, I broke things off. I felt it was too much, too soon."

Harry looked amused, and then thoughtful. "And how do you feel now, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed. "I feel guilty. I regret it so, so much. And my heart feels like it's breaking every time I see him, or think about him - which is all the _fucking_ time!" Harry and Ginny jumped when she swore; as it definitely wasn't something she did often.

"I can feel a 'but' coming on. What's the catch of all this?" Harry asked warily.

"I still stand by it, no matter how much it hurts." Hermione finished, tears filling her eyes again. She swore again, thinking that she was all cried out. Evidently, she wasn't.

"That's because you are a Gryffindor, Hermione. You're brave, or you'll try to be, no matter how much it kills you." Harry said kindly, covering the hand she had on his shoulder with his own.

"Harry's right, Hermione - you'll be brave to the last second. You'll get over this, whether you go back to him or not." Ginny added.

"Do you think you will, Hermione? Go back to him, I mean." Harry asked gently.

"I don't know." She whispered back. She stood up, making her excuses, and headed off to bed.

She climbed into her four-poster, pulling the covers up over her head, and pulling herself into a foetal position. She then let the tears flow out of her, crying into the emerald handkerchief she'd conjured the day before. It was nearly an hour before her eyes ran dry again and she succumbed to sleep once more.

She woke up the next morning, feeling like she'd had her head trampled on by a herd of elephants. She scraped her hair back into a French plait and took a pain relieving potion before pulling on her house robes and heading to breakfast.

She walked into the Great Hall and looked over at the Slytherin table before sitting between Harry and Ginny. She couldn't see Draco anywhere on the table, and she sat down, feeling as though there were something missing in the space where her heart should have been.

"Are you hungry, Hermione?" Harry asked, offering her some toast. She politely declined the toast in favour of cornflakes. Harry patted her hand, before digging into his own meal and turning to talk to Ron about Quidditch.

"Mione, how are you feeling?" Ginny asked, pouring her a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Thanks, Gin. I'm not feeling all that great, to be honest, but at least we only have Slughorn for our first lesson." Hermione smiled at her friend bravely, but both girls knew it was false.

"You sit next to Malfoy in Potions. This is going to be your worst lesson today." Ginny said quietly.

Hermione nodded and rose, walking to Potions, and leaving half of her breakfast behind. She let herself into his classroom, and settled into her seat at the front. She would have been sat next to Ernie Macmillan, until Professor Slughorn decided that under no circumstances were students to sit next to people they got on well with. _And that was how I got paired with Draco_, Hermione thought sadly to herself.

"Good morning, Miss Granger!" Slughorn boomed cheerfully.

"Good morning, sir." Hermione replied politely. She retrieved her book, quill, ink and parchment from her back, laying it all out neatly just in front of her cauldron. She watched as the entire class filed in, all except for Draco, who didn't show up for Potions. She produced a perfect Draught of Living Death, which meant she received no homework, unlike the rest of the class who all had to write an essay on how to properly produce the potion and its properties thereafter.

She walked to Defence against the Dark Arts alongside Harry, who was determined to keep her talking about the Patronus homework that Snape had set them.

"Well, I hope he doesn't try to fail me anyway, I know I aced the essay. After the DA last year, I doubt there is anyone in our year that isn't Slytherin that could have gotten that wrong!" Harry had told her. Hermione pretended to be really involved in the conversation for Harry's sake, but he saw through her pretence.

"I know you're upset, Hermione, but you've got to try and take your mind off of him." Harry said quietly.

"I know Harry, and thank you for trying to distract me, but it's not working." Hermione and Harry lined up with the rest of the 6th year NEWT students waiting outside Professor Snape's classroom.

"Enter," he said from inside the classroom, and the students started to file in. Hermione sat next to Harry, as usual and put her essay on her desk about two seconds before Snape waved his wand to collect all the scrolls. She opened her book to the page on the Patronus Charm and listened half-heartedly as Snape droned on about powerful memories. She allowed herself a moment, while Snape's back was turned, to look around the room for Draco. He was absent again.

"Miss Granger, you are apparently so confident in your ability to produce a Patronus that you find yourself incapable of listening. Please, demonstrate how you would do so." Professor Snape was not kindly inviting her to participate, but ordering her to do so in front of the class. He was hoping that she would make a fool of herself.

Hermione thought hard about the feel of Draco's lips on hers and the moment he had told her that he loved her. "_Expecto Patronum!_" Hermione cried, pointing her wand directly in front of her. The silver otter erupted from the end of her wand, bouncing around the classroom and her smiling classmates, before Hermione waved her wand and it vanished.

"Sit down, Miss Granger. Thank you for your demonstration." Professor Snape said, and several of Hermione's peers grinned as his voice shook with anger. The rest of the lesson went by smoothly before break, and once they were out of the classroom, Harry grabbed her arm to lead her towards a quiet corner.

"Well done, Hermione. I wanted to ask you something. What was it you thought of?" Harry asked.

"You don't have to ask me that, Harry, when you already know the answer." Hermione replied, somewhat coldly.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to check. I noticed he wasn't in class - again."

"Oh, no, Harry. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have been like that to you, of all people. And I know. We'll just have to see if he's in Transfiguration." Hermione said, hugging Harry. He hugged her back after a moment and they set off for Professor McGonagall's class. "Thank you, Harry. I know it must be hard for you to support me through this. I'm really grateful."

"But that's what friends are for!" Harry replied, grinning at her.

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><p><strong>I don't think Hermione and Draco's separation will last for long, so hopefully, in a few chapters' time, you will have your addictions sated. :)<strong>

**Go on, drop me a review. You know you want to! **


	12. A Second Chance

**Another thank you to my reviewers - including Pj, who I would like to remind that nobody is forcing you to read or like my fic and you don't have to be such an arsehole. I hope you enjoy this Chapter, and I will be writing and updating soon.**

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><p>"Have a nice day, ditching?" Blaise asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.<p>

"Ha, you are _so_ funny. I wasn't sure if I could face her today, especially considering that I have to sit next to her for Potions. I went over to the library during Transfiguration and checked out a few Charms books. For the pendants project, you know?" Draco replied. He stuck a bit of parchment in his book, marking the page he was at.

"Find anything useful? Oh, and Hermione was looking for you today. She looked pretty cut up when she couldn't see you _anywhere_." Blaise rolled his eyes.

"Did she really? I wouldn't have expected that… after _she_ dumped _me_. And as for the books, some were and some weren't. I need to head back to the library with the crappier books. I have plenty of time to go there and have a look through some more books before I have to go to dinner. If you want to come, feel free." Draco offered, slinging his back over his shoulder.

"No thanks, I've got about two tons of homework to get through. I'll see you at dinner though."

"Sure. See you later then." Draco said, deciding to take a gentle stroll to the library. It was a sunny day, and golden rays illuminated the hallways, adding a warm and home-like feel to the castle.

Draco entered the library, revelling in the silence. He walked over to Madam Pince, smiled at her (much to her surprise) and returned the books that held no extremely valuable information for him. He strolled over to the Charms section of the library, rifling through all of the books until he found one that looked rather interesting. He took it out of the shelf gently and was reading it while he found a good table to sit at. He didn't even realise there was another person sitting at the table until he heard a quiet gasp. He looked up to see Hermione, whose face was starting to match the colour of her robes' lining.

"Hello, Hermione." Draco said quietly, smiling at her.

"Draco," she whispered. "I… How are you?"

"I'm okay, are you?"

"Yes. I am. If you don't mind my asking, where were you today? I haven't seen you all day. I was worried about you." Hermione said the last part tentatively. Draco sat in the chair next to her.

"I wasn't feeling well this morning, so I decided to stay in bed. Blaise said that you were looking for me. He said that you looked a little upset when you couldn't see me." Draco said quietly, staring into her eyes. She didn't flinch back.

"Blaise has it right. Charms books?" Hermione pointed to the book in his hand. "Is that for your little project?"

"Yeah, it is. Will you take a walk with me? I'll check this out on the way."

"I'd be delighted to." Hermione said. She waved her wand, and her parchment, quills and books all flew neatly into her bag. Draco felt just a little bit smug as she walked alongside him. He checked the book out, earning a very rare smile from Madam Pince, and led Hermione to the trees near the edge of the lake. They sat down next to each other in the shade of a Beech tree that he knew Hermione liked to sit under.

"Hermione, I don't want to upset you, especially as we seem to be on speaking terms, but I must ask you something. Why were you upset when I was nowhere to be found? Does it mean you take back what you said on Saturday night?"

"I was upset because I was worried about you. I still feel quite strongly about you, Draco, though I don't know just how strongly I do feel. I don't want to twist the knife when it's already buried so deep within you, but I regret running out on you. It hurts me more than I can bear to admit. However, I stand by my decision. I don't know all that much about you, Draco, and I would like to get to know you. I would love to have a chance to fall in love with you. But I really want to take it slowly." Hermione said. Draco looked at her, and her eyes welled up again.

"No, Hermione, please don't cry. If I agreed to take it slowly and give us both a chance to get to know each other – which I think is a very good idea, by the way – would you agree to give us another chance? Would you say yes if I asked you to be my girlfriend - again?"

"I think so, Draco. Could we give it another chance?" Hermione asked, leaning her head against the Beech tree.

"I would do everything I just asked of you and more. I would take it as slow as you wanted, Hermione."

"Then, yes. I will be yours." Hermione said simply. "Just… don't tell me you love me again. Not until I feel that I am ready to hear it."

"Thank you," said Draco. His hand darted out to gently hold hers. She smiled at him, and Draco was reminded, yet again, just how much he loved her. He kept his thoughts to himself though, opting to beam at her instead.

"Draco, I'm so sorry for everything I did. Can you forgive me?" Hermione asked him. Grey eyes met brown, and he nodded. She smiled again, revealing perfectly even, white teeth.

Draco studied her appearance. She had changed so much over the past five years. He could remember when she was a bushy-haired, buck-toothed little know-it-all. Of course, the last bit hadn't changed at all. She was the brightest witch of her age and everyone knew it. She used to be chubby, but now she had a perfect figure. He continued to stare at her, feeling awful about every time he had called her a mudblood. He said this aloud to her and she laughed.

"If I hadn't forgiven you for that do you really think I would have come to you when you first requested to see me?"

"Good point, Hermione. So, what did I miss today?"

"In Potions, we made Draught of the Living Dead, which wasn't too bad. Then we carried on with the Patronus again in Defence. Professor Snape caught me not paying the slightest bit of attention to him, so he made me produce a Patronus for the class. Of course, he hadn't banked on me already knowing how to."

"Why weren't you paying attention?"

"I already knew it all. I learnt how to produce a Patronus last year when we were in the DA."

"You can produce a corporeal Patronus?"

"Yes," laughed Hermione. "Do you want to see it?"

Draco nodded enthusiastically. He'd seen them being performed before, but it was surprising to know that she had known how to do it for months. He vaguely heard her cast the spell, and a small silver Otter was bouncing around them, rolling in the grass. Hermione flicked her Vine wand, and the Otter vanished.

"Can you show me how to do it?" Draco breathed. Hermione nodded, getting into teacher mode. She told him all about the theoretical side of the spell-casting before dinner. They walked very close together, in deep conversation about Patronuses before they had to separate. Draco walked over to the Slytherin table and sat himself between Theo and Blaise, who looked very interested in finding out why it was that Hermione and Draco had walked into the Great Hall together.

"All right, tell us what's going on." Theo said, as soon as Draco slid into his seat.

"She was teaching me about Patronuses." Draco said, laughing when his two friends gaped at him with mingled amusement and exasperation.

"No, you're not getting out of it that easily, I assure you. What's going on?" Blaise hissed at him. Draco looked around and was irritated to see Pansy Parkinson gazing at the three boys and evidently eavesdropping. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Not saying anything where people can overhear," said Draco. Blaise nodded thoughtfully.

"Hang on; you said she was teaching you about Patronuses. Did she show you hers?" Blaise asked.

"Yes, it's brilliant. It's an-"

"Otter," Theo and Blaise answered together. Draco looked a little deflated. Suddenly, he had no time to feel anything other than immediate hunger as the tables filled with food. Draco helped himself to some fresh salmon and baby new potatoes. They were, as usual, delicious. The house-elves could cook very well. He wondered how he was going to approach his relationship with Hermione, who kept glancing at him from the Gryffindor table. From the excited look on the red-haired girl's face next to her, he could tell that Ginny already knew.

"You saw in Defence against the Dark Arts?"

"Yeah," said Theo, with a mouth full of mashed potato. The boys remained silent throughout the rest of dinner, each tucking into various puddings. They remained seated in the Great Hall after Dumbledore dismissed all the students, too bloated to move a muscle. Soon, they were the only students left in the hall, and half of the teachers had gone, too.

"Well, now, you three. It's time you went back to your Common Room," Dumbledore chuckled. "But perhaps you are too full?"

The boys nodded, and Dumbledore chuckled again. He waved his wand and suddenly, Draco wasn't bloated. He looked at Blaise and Theodore and they had the same expression of surprise on their faces that Draco was sure was on his.

"Thank you sir, we'll be going now." Draco said, trying to smile at Dumbledore. He nodded his head back. Draco gripped the arms of his friends and led them back towards the dungeons. He spat the password at the door, and the boys rushed in to get the best sofa. Luckily, it was empty and the three of them threw themselves down upon it.

"So, Draco, will you tell us now?" Blaise murmured, looking at Draco with an expectant expression on his face. He felt a hint of pride as he relayed the events of the afternoon to his friends. Finally, Draco had finished. There were a few beats of silence, and then Theo burst into a round of applause. A few startled Slytherins stared at him.

"Well done, my friend! But when she says not moving too fast, does it mean she's not going to give it up, or what?"

"I don't know. I don't think so, but I don't mind not doing it. I want her to grow to love me the way I love her. She means a lot to me, and I want to have a solid chance with her." Draco admitted.

Pansy Parkinson was watching him from across the room, he could tell. He turned to look at her and she held his gaze steadily. He shook his head at her wearily and turned away from her. He was not in the mood to deal with her possessiveness. He just hoped that she wouldn't find out about Hermione.

"I'm going to bed," said Draco abruptly. "See you in the morning. And I'll actually go to lessons tomorrow, I promise."

He smiled, thinking about sitting next to Hermione in Potions the next day and climbed into bed.

_I have a second chance_, he thought to himself, _and I will make the most of it_.

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><p><strong>As usual, tell me what you think - though please don't be outright rude if you don't like it. Until the next chapter, my friends.<strong>

**Lottie.**


	13. Helping Hand

**This Chappy is called _Helping Hand_ because of the support and help Hermione gives out to the other characters. Enjoy. **

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><p>"So, after that, he wanted me to teach him how to produce a Patronus." Hermione said to Ginny, after the latter begged to know everything that had happened that afternoon.<p>

"Why don't you take him to the Room of Requirement? I know you both have used it before," Hermione blushed furiously, "so it's not like he knows it's there. It would fully equip you to your needs. Here, use my mirror to talk to him." Ginny thrust a small ovular mirror into Hermione's hand and muttered "Blaise Zabini".

"Hermione?" Blaise asked incredulously when she gasped. "What are _you_ doing in my mirror?"

"I need to talk to Draco, if I can?" Hermione said. Blaise made a funny noise and he rolled his eyes. She heard him mutter something on the other side of the mirror, and suddenly, Draco's face appeared.

"What's wrong, petal?" Draco asked, his face wearing a mask of concern. Ginny snickered beside her, and Hermione thought she heard Blaise do the same.

"What are you doing right now?"

"Nothing important, I suppose. Can't it wait until tomorrow? We're about ten minutes from curfew." Draco said. His brow furrowed.

"Do you want to learn to cast a Patronus?" Hermione asked enigmatically. Draco frowned.

"Of course I do? I don't understand what you're hinting at, Hermione."

"Well, meet me at the Room of Requirement in 5 minutes. You'll see." Hermione smirked and handed the mirror back to Ginny. She changed out of her robes into some jeans and a t-shirt and trainers. She pocketed her wand and pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail. She waved to Ginny, who was sat on her bed and talking into the mirror. Ginny waved back absently, laughing at something Blaise had said to her through the mirror.

Hermione walked down to the Common Room, and out towards the portrait hole, waving off cautions about being out past curfew. She walked swiftly down the corridor towards the gap in the wall. She smiled at a few Ravenclaws who had been in the DA last year as she paced three times past the spot where the door should normally appear. As she paced, she chanted in her head: _I need a place to teach Malfoy the Patronus charm… I need a place to teach Malfoy the Patronus charm… I need a place to teach Malfoy the Patronus charm_.

A door appeared at once. Hermione opened it and walked into the Room beyond. It was a large chamber, with a row of bookshelves on one wall. The floor was made of polished wood, and there was a large brass chandelier attached to the ceiling, the candles resting in it bathing the room with a golden glow. Hermione stepped closer to the bookshelves, her love of books propelling her forwards. All of them were about the Patronus. She hadn't even known that they'd existed.

Hermione plucked one of the books from its shelf and looked at the cover. It was called _Theory of the Patronus Charm_ by Alastair Prince. She opened the book, reading the introduction, when she realised that she really needed to sit down. Suddenly, she spied a large armchair about a foot away from the bookshelf. She settled down into it, tucking her legs beneath her and started to read.

"Hermione, what are you reading?" Draco asked from the doorway. She flashed the book at him, and he looked impressed. "I didn't know it would be this useful!"

"Of course it is!" Hermione said, with an exasperated smile on her face. "It's the Room of Requirement. It will become anything you need it to, and give you almost anything you need."

"It's brilliant," whispered Draco, clear awe on his face. "So, can we start?"

Hermione nodded, stood up and cleared her throat. "Well, in order to produce a Patronus, you need a very happy, very _strong_ memory. The stronger it is the better. You need to focus your mind and your energy on this, and when you are ready, you need to speak the incantation: _Expecto Patronum_."

Draco nodded at her, and screwed up his face in concentration. He pointed his wand in front of him and muttered "_Expecto Patronum_." The tip of his wand glowed, but nothing came out of the end – not even silver vapour. Hermione frowned.

"What were you thinking about, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I was thinking about my mother. When I was six, my magic started to show itself. I was levitating a glass, when my mother rushed in. I lost my concentration and the glass smashed itself on my head. She ran to my side, and cradled me in her arms, healing my head and kissing me. She was so proud that my magic had revealed itself."

"It's not strong enough," whispered Hermione sadly. "You need something stronger."

"Give me a minute." Draco said. He sat down on the floor, cross-legged. He looked thoughtful for a second, and then a bright smile lit his face. He shot back into the air again and said, "I'm ready. _Expecto Patronum!_"

A silvery shield erupted from the end of his wand. It wasn't corporeal, but Hermione was impressed nonetheless. "That was much better, you see?" Hermione said. "You need to focus a little more though." She walked around the room, and flicked her wand randomly. Green and gold sparks shot out of the end of it, and Hermione looked down, surprised.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just wondering what your Patronus would be." Hermione replied absently. "Let's try again."

They tried over and over, Hermione's prompts getting a little sharper each time. They tried again, repeating the charm for over two hours. Then, _finally_, a silvery ferret burst from the end of his wand, bouncing around them. It settled on Hermione's shoulders, and she erupted into peals of laughter. The ferret rolled around them, until it vanished with a small puff.

"Well done, Draco. You did really well. I'm proud of you." Hermione said. Her eyes were still crinkled from her laughter.

"I had a good teacher," he replied, locking his fingers with hers. She smiled down at their hands and her stomach fluttered as his thumb massaged circles into her hand. He tugged at her, and she willingly stepped into his arms, breathing in his cologne and feeling his warmth surround her. Her arms slipped around his neck, and she smiled into his shoulder when he kissed her on the forehead.

_Godric's soul_, Hermione thought, _he gives me butterflies! _He laughed quietly, and Hermione pulled away slightly to gaze up into his face. He shook his head at her, and kissed her on the cheek, millimetres from the corner of her mouth. Hermione felt a shiver run down her back, and she kissed him on the lips. It was unlike any other kiss she had shared with him. It was sweet and soft and full of… love. Draco hummed against her lips, and she broke away, grinning.

"We did move far too fast, didn't we?" Draco said quietly. Hermione nodded sadly at him.

"Draco, we now have a chance to make it right. We can do this the right way, take it slowly, and get to know each other better. We can love each other, Draco." Hermione saw the flicker of hope in his eyes. She knew that he was hoping that she would come to love him as he loved her. He gave her a soft peck on the lips.

"I need to go back to my House, sweetheart. Thank you so much for helping me with the Patronus. I'm coming along well with the spells I need for my project. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow. I wish I could stay with you. I want to talk to you all night about everything! Oh, I have to go. I need to disillusion myself first though." Draco tapped his head with his wand, and Hermione leapt away from him. When he was fully disillusioned, Hermione felt his hands on either side of her face. She leant into his hands, and he kissed her again.

"Goodnight, Draco. Sleep well." Hermione told him.

"I will, and I hope you do too." Draco said, walking with her to the door. Hermione cast a glance behind her as she left the room, and with a final murmured 'goodbye', she walked to the Fat Lady.

"You do realise its past curfew, _don't _you?" The Fat Lady said with a condescending tone to her voice.

"Yes, I am fully aware of that. And the password is Dilligrout." Hermione said snappily. The Fat Lady swung open to let her inside the Common Room. She saw Harry sitting alone by the fireplace. She sat down beside him on the hearth.

"Hello, Hermione. How's Draco?" Harry asked without looking at her.

"He's fine. What's wrong, Harry?"

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine. I just miss Sirius, you know?"

Hermione placed a comforting hand on his knee. She knew how much he missed Sirius, and in a way, she missed him too. Wormtail was still on the run, and Sirius was still being hunted by the Ministry, though Dumbledore said that he'd try to convince them to drop all charges. Harry looked at her then, and she saw that his eyes were a little red around the rims.

"Harry, if there's anything else that's wrong, you know I'm here for you. I'm always here for you." Hermione said. Harry gave her a weak smile and he laced his fingers with hers. It wasn't at all romantic, they were just like siblings, and Harry needed her support and comfort. She was pleased that her and Harry were as close as ever. Hermione hated arguing with any of her friends, because she looked to them for guidance.

"Hermione… thank you." Harry said suddenly.

"Whatever for?"

"For being there for me when no-one else was. I think of you as my sister. I truly love you Hermione, and I really don't know what I'd do without you." Harry said, clutching at her hand.

"Come on, we're going to the kitchens. Get your Cloak – and your Map." Hermione said, getting up and tugging Harry up with her.

"Oh, no, Hermione, I don't think I'm in the mood."

"I don't care. Come on, Harry. Please. You'll be able to see Dobby, too!" Hermione had finally twisted Harry's arm. He gave a deep, defeated sigh, and ran upstairs to get the Cloak and the Map. He reappeared in a minute, throwing the Cloak over both himself and Hermione. They left the Common Room and walked down towards the dungeons. They nearly got caught by Snape, who was prowling the corridors. They finally got down to the dungeons, and they walked up to the painting of the fruit bowl. She looked down at the map, which told them that the corridor was empty. Hermione stuck out a hand and tickled the pear, which turned into a door handle. They opened the door and threw off the cloak.

"Harry Potter, sir! It is a great pleasure to see you again sir! And Miss Hermione Granger is here too!" A small house-elf came running forward. His torso was buried in a woolly jumper, and he was wearing odd socks and a maroon hat. Dobby threw himself forward, hugging Harry's knees and bowing low to both Harry and Hermione.

"Hello, Dobby. How are you?" Hermione asked kindly.

"Oh, Dobby is very well, miss. How is you and Harry Potter?" Dobby asked. "What would you like? The house-elves is liking very much to make you something to eat and drink!"

Hermione and Harry sat at a table and immediately had a range of cakes and sandwiches placed on the table by a number of house-elves, who all smiled broadly and bowed to both of the Gryffindors.

"I am fine, Dobby, thank you. Harry seemed a little down, so I brought him down here to see you. I thought you might be able to cheer him up." Hermione said, taking a sip of hot cocoa.

"No, Hermione, I'm fine really. But of course I wanted to see you Dobby. You are still a good friend of mine." Harry said, smiling at Dobby, whose eyes welled up at Harry's compliment.

"Thank you, sir and miss!"

Hermione and Harry stayed to talk to the house-elves long after they had finished the food and drinks they had supplied them. All of the house-elves were thanking them for visiting them in the kitchen, and most were bowing, or attempting to hug Harry and Hermione, and they left with huge smiles on their faces.

"I knew you'd feel better if we went down to the kitchens." Hermione said as they walked up to the Fat Lady. She was very irritated to be woken up, but swung forward when Harry supplied the password.

"Thank you Hermione, for being my helping hand. It was fun down there, and I _do_ feel better. You're a good sister."

"Thanks Harry, you're not a bad brother." Hermione said, winking and kissing him on the cheek before going up to the dormitory.

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><p><strong>Well, please drop me a review - I love to hear from you guys. Give me some suggestions for things you would like to see in future chapters. Even mix it up a little and give me words that I absolutely <em>must<em> use in a chapter (the character POV will be of your choice). I look forward to hearing from you.**

**Lottie**


	14. Egyptian Gold

**Hello, you guys. Sorry I haven't updated in the past couple of days, I was just a bit busy. I won't update again until Friday by the looks of it, because I'm going away for a few days this week. **

**Thank you to my reviewers, and an especially big thanks to _Pollyisonfire_ for my challenge words. Believe it or not, I managed to include them. I hope you think I did a good job, lol.**

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><p>"I kissed her. She didn't pull away or anything!" Draco said, to no one in particular. He touched his lips again. A whooping sensation burned through him. The dormitory was apparently empty for once. He reached into his bedside cabinet and retrieved some of the Charms books. He flicked through them again, adding to his diagram and including more detail, and adding more notes. He thought he had the basics for the pendants. He decided to have the dragon coiled around a D, with a small H etched into its wing. Hermione's pendant would be a flower, perched on an H and one of the petals would be shaped like a D.<p>

"Good for you, mate." Theo said, popping his head around the curtains of his four-poster bed.

Draco jumped half a foot into the air. "Fuck, Theo, you scared the shit out of me! Couldn't you have made your presence known, man?"

Theodore Nott chuckled. "Sorry, mate. I was trying to get to sleep when you came in. So what are you going to do?"

"We're gonna keep things hushed up for now, I think. We'll 'come out' when she's ready. We'll get a lot of hate from a lot of people when that happens. You and Blaise will still support me though, won't you?"

"Of course we will, mate. Just don't expect me to sit at Gryffindor table." Theo laughed. "I'm going to sleep now, so you can be loved up on your own. Goodnight, see you in the morning."

"Thank you, it means a lot to me. And sleep well. Good night." Draco said. He muttered "lumos" and began to read by wand light. He'd first need to make the pendants, or have them made for him, and that was going to be both tricky and expensive. He thought about materials for the pendants. Platinum would be far more expensive and a lot harder to make, though it would have an attractive simplicity to it that Hermione would probably favour. On the other hand, Gold looked prettier and a lot classier, and it was a lot easier to mould as well.

Draco looked at the time: almost 1am. He had to sleep or there wasn't a chance of him waking up in time for classes. He reluctantly put his books back into his bedside cabinet and got changed into his pyjamas. He snuggled underneath his duvet and fell asleep almost immediately.

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><p>"So, I was considering gold for the pendants. What do you think?" Draco asked Blaise at breakfast the next morning.<p>

"I think it's a good idea, depending on what kind of gold you're looking for." Blaise said, reaching for a slice of toast.

"I don't know anything about jewellery making though? What kind of gold do you think will be best for this sort of thing?"

"Hmm… Egyptian gold is meant to be good for jewellery. Mother was bragging to one of her 'friends' about her Egyptian gold bracelets." Blaise sounded both annoyed and bored, though Draco didn't take any offence. Talk of his mother just irritated him. He started buttering the toast he had in his hand, while Draco stared off thoughtfully.

"How would I get hold of some, though? I'm not really anywhere near an Egyptian gold mine, am I really?" Draco said quietly.

"I'll get hold of it for you. One of my aunts is a jeweller, and she often mines her own gold. If there are muggles around, she claims to be an archaeologist."

"What the hell is an archaeologist?" Draco spluttered. It sounded absolutely ridiculous.

"An archaeologist is someone who tries to retrieve the lost treasures of ancient civilisations. My aunt carries a shovel with her when she goes to Egypt, just in case," said Blaise. He took a bite out of his toast, and then added some raspberry jam.

"What would she do that for?"

"Well, they do it in the dirt, don't they?" Blaise sighed. Draco choked on his cereal.

"What?"

"Archaeologists do it in the dirt."

"Do _what_ in the dirt, Blaise?" Draco said, gasping for breath.

"Oh, get your mind out of gutters. They _dig_, Draco. Archaeologists dig for ancient buried treasures! Why else would my aunt carry a shovel? For someone so smart, you're awfully slow sometimes." Blaise laughed, and pointed his wand at Draco's throat. "Anapneo," he muttered. Draco's airways cleared at once.

"Why can't she just cast a disillusionment charm?"

"Well, the muggles would get quite a scare if they saw the gold nuggets burst out of the ground, wouldn't they? Not that it would matter all that much, but the Egyptian Ministry is adamant that not even a hint of magic is revealed to the muggles there. Not to mention, there are a lot of muggle tourists in Egypt because of those Pyramids."

Draco's eyes widened and he was rendered temporarily speechless. When he found his voice again, he asked, "How much would it cost me to get a gold nugget off of her?"

"I don't know. I'll send her an owl today and find out. Have some cash ready though, Draco."

"Yeah, I will." Draco said, getting a second helping of cereal. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Hermione laughing at Harry. His blood ran cold for a second, before he remembered that Hermione was _his_ now.

Draco's lessons passed like a blur that day, and at the first chance he got, he ran straight to the library. He searched different types of gold, and their properties, until he remained decided on Egyptian. He then thumbed through as many books as he could to find the perfect way to make the pendants. He took one book over to Madam Pince to sign out of the Library.

"What are you up to, Mr Malfoy?" Madam Pince asked, narrowing her eyes.

Draco grinned at her. "Nothing, Madam," he said, dashing out of the library. He thought he heard her mutter "honestly, students these days" before he ran down the stairs. He'd gone down two flights of stairs before he ran right into Hermione. She'd whipped out her wand, anticipating an attack, but Draco held his hands up next to his head. She considered him for a moment, and then lowered her wand.

"You weren't about to attack me, were you?" Draco asked incredulously.

"For a second, I was going to. What do you expect when you run smack into someone?"

"Where are you going?" Draco asked her.

"The Library, and by the looks of it, you've just come from there." Hermione said, pointing her wand in the direction of his bag. It was stuffed with books. She smiled at him, and he grinned back. "I should probably get going then. It might look weird if we stand here chatting all day." With that, she winked and continued on her way up the stairs.

Draco stood, dumbfounded, eyeing her back as she walked away. He shook his head when she rounded the corner and carried on his walk down to the dungeons. He spat the password at the wall, hurrying in when the bricks moved to become an archway. He walked straight to the dormitory, ignoring acknowledgments from his fellow Slytherins. He dug the heavy book out of his bag and was about to open it when he saw a piece of parchment folded in half.

Draco –  
>My aunt says she'll get you one gold nugget, but it will cost you 35 Galleons. She says she would charge more, but you are my friend, and it is you that will alter it. Send your owl to her. Her name is Alaia Zabini. Just give her the gold, and she'll get you a good quality nugget. I hope that's okay for you.<br>Blaise

Draco retrieved one of his velvet drawstring bags, and added the 35 Galleons, as required. The small bag was heavy and it clinked enticingly. He got a fresh piece of parchment and wrote:

Ms Alaia Zabini -  
>My name is Draco Malfoy and I am a friend of your nephew, Blaise. In regards to the gold, enclosed is the money you requested. I would ask that you send the gold back in the same bag that your money arrived in, with my owl, Willafus. I thank you for taking the time to retrieve the gold for me – it will not be forgotten.<br>Sincerely,  
>Draco Malfoy.<p>

With a surprisingly heavy heart, Draco put the parchment and the bag containing the gold in his pocket and set off for the Owlery. The smell of owls and their droppings polluted the stairwell leading up to the Owlery, and Draco had to cast the bubble-head charm to be able to breathe properly once he'd entered the tower.

"Willafus!" Draco called. The sharp-looking owl dived down from the beams at the top of the cold tower to land on his shoulder. Draco walked over to the ledge, setting Willafus carefully down. He tied the roll of parchment to the owl's waiting leg, and carefully tied the bag of gold to the same scaly leg. "You're in for a long journey, Willafus. You need to go to Alaia Zabini. Don't leave until she has attached this bag to your leg again, and it has to have the gold in it. Have a safe journey." Draco stroked the owl on the head and felt the light pressure on his arm when the owl took off.

"Malfoy, I'd like a word with you." Harry said from behind him. His snowy owl was perched on his shoulder.

"Why should I oblige you with that, Potter?" Draco replied stonily. His hand twitched to his wand, which was hidden in his robes.

"You should 'oblige' me because you're going out with the girl who I consider to be a sister to me. She's my best friend, Malfoy. If you hurt her, I will have absolutely no worry on my mind when I hurt you."

"Is that a _threat_, Potter?" Draco laughed. That was ridiculous. _Saint Potter_ was going to hurt Draco Malfoy? As if.

"It is a threat, and a warning too. Make sure you don't you forget it, either." Harry said. His expression was as frozen as the tone of his voice.

"You're threatening me? You wait until my father hears about this!"

"He won't hear about it though, will he? If you tell him I threatened you, I will have no trouble telling him the reason _why_ I did it." Harry said calmly.

"And you think that he'd believe a filthy half-blood like you?"

"Come now, Draco, don't forget your manners. Blood 'purity' isn't something you should really be commenting on, given the girl you're going out with. After all, Hermione is a _mudblood_, isn't she?"

"That part of her doesn't matter to me." Draco said quietly. Harry had backed him into a metaphorical corner. Fuck.

"No? So why did you just call me a filthy half-blood? I thought you just said blood purity didn't matter to you." Harry said. He stared at Draco with pity in his eyes, and then whirled out, leaving Draco alone in the Owlery.

"Shit," Draco whispered to himself. He waited for a whole minute before he walked out of the tower, and back down to his Common Room. He felt numb the entire time he walked. _What if he tells Hermione what I said? I know she'll side with him, he's practically her brother. Fuck._

Draco decided to take a detour to the kitchens before going to his Common Room. He stopped outside the painting of the fruit bowl and tickled the pear. When the pear morphed into a door handle, he turned it any went inside.

The house elves fell silent. Draco was known to be an asshole to anything that wasn't human. He sighed. _Time to make amends with the house elves I think_. He cleared his throat and one house elf ducked behind a saucepan.

"To all of you, the faithful house elves of Hogwarts Castle, I would like to apologise. It is true that I used to be a highly undesirable person, but I am trying to turn my life around. I don't want to uphold the beliefs of the Death Eaters. I want to be a good person. I am truly sorry for the way I have spoken to and treated all of you, and I swear that I will never do it again. I truly hope we can be friends." Draco finished, bowing low to them all. They all burst into applause and rushed around him, offering him food and drink. He shrugged them off, however, spying Dobby in the corner, watching the scene with a morose expression on his face, his small arms folded across his tiny chest.

Draco made his way over to Dobby, smiling at the other house elves, who quickly realised that Draco wished to speak only to Dobby. "Yes, Master Draco?" Dobby squeaked, refusing to look him in the eye.

"Dobby, I truly wish to make amends. I am so sorry for the way I treated you when you were in servitude to my family. I was awful and rotten to you. I hate myself when I think of how I mistreated you. Can you forgive me?" Draco asked. He had knelt in front of the little house elf, their faces parallel. Dobby appeared to consider Draco's apology, and then nodded stiffly, once.

"Yes, Master. I will forgive you." Dobby said.

"Please don't call me master. I am nobody's master. I wish for us to be equals now." Draco said.

He went to sit at the small table in the kitchen, and immediately had a steaming bowl of chicken and asparagus soup slid in front of him, accompanied with a bottle of butterbeer. Draco thanked the house elves, who smiled at him, happily chatting and preparing the Hogwarts dinner. The soup slid down his throat, filling him with a warm glow. He soon finished the soup and had a huge slice of Pavlova in front of him. He took his time eating it, savouring the strawberries and the whipped cream. He actually moaned low in his throat when he ate the meringue. It was the best he'd ever tasted, and he sat there at the table, happily conversing with the house elves while he let his dinner digest. When it was time for dinner in the Great Hall, Draco left, promising that he would be back soon to visit them. He even got a small smile from Dobby before he left.

He spoke the password to the wall, and walked into the Common Room, settling himself on a sofa and reading. He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, he was being shaken by Blaise.

"Wake up, you idiot. Come on, get _up!"_ Blaise hissed in his ear.

"Maybe we should spray him with water? I'll happily do it myself, if you'd like, Blaise." Theo chimed in, snickering.

"You spray me and I will hex you," muttered Draco. His friends laughed, and the book in his hands vanished. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What happened?" Draco asked groggily.

"Well, you fell asleep, mate. And I should tell you, you were moaning in your sleep, talking about Pavlova." Theo said, roaring with laughter. Draco scowled at him and stood up.

"I'm going to go to bed, I think. Oh, and I sent Willafus to your Aunt, by the way Blaise, and sent the money with him. Good night, you two." Draco said. Blaise nodded at him, and Theo was too busy laughing to do any more than raise his hand in acknowledgement.

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><p><strong>For those who don't know, a Pavlova is a dessert made of meringue, whipped cream and various fruits, though the most popular is strawberry. A variant of this is Eton Mess, which is Pavlova served with ice-cream.<strong>

**I hope to hear more from you. Up next is a Ginny chapter, and I warn you, there will be plenty of smut (as requested by 0elmorox0). I'd love to be given a few requested words for the next chapter, because the ones I used in this chapter were so much fun to work in.**

**Drop me a review, or a P.M, whichever appeals more to your fancy. I want to hear what you like/don't like.**

**Lottie.**


	15. Blood

**So, this is a Ginny chapter, as requested by 0elmorox0. This was quite a hard chapter to write, because it really just didn't want to cooperate, but I managed to finish it in the end. I want to say a really big thanks to my reviewers - your comments have been great, and I really do appreciate it. I do need the ego boost ;)**

**I'll stop rambling now.**

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><p>Ginny was studying again. The grim reality of it was that she didn't really have a life anymore. The only people she saw were Hermione, Harry and Ron, seeing as Fred and George were long gone. She barely even saw Blaise anymore, much to her dismay. She didn't care so much for her classmates, apart from Luna. She shut her Transfiguration book. <em>Fuck this<em>, she thought, _I'm going to have some fun_ _tonight_. She put her book into her bag and ran up to the dormitory, flinging it on her bed. Ginny heard a whisper coming from the drawer in her bedside cabinet.

"Ginevra Weasley," it said. She rooted through her drawer and found her mirror. Blaise smiled at her.

"Hello, Blaise. I was just thinking about you." Ginny smiled.

"Ginevra, I have missed you. Come to the Room of Requirement. You need to stop studying, and I have the perfect solution for relaxation." He gave her the sexy smirk that made her fall for him at the very beginning. She mentally scolded herself. _I will not fall in love with a Slytherin;_ Ginny thought angrily, _I will _never_ fall in love with one of them_.

"Sure. See you in ten?" Ginny asked. Blaise smiled up at her and nodded. Then the image in the mirror became her face, and she was alone again. She looked at herself. Her hair was tangled from Quidditch practise, and her robes were lopsided. She decided to wear a dress that Hermione had bought for her last year. It was white and about three inches shorter than it was last year, so it fell nearly two inches above her knees. She brushed out her hair and left it hanging in a strawberry curtain down her back. She applied a little bit of eyeliner and mascara and her lips had a coat of blueberry flavoured lip balm. She needed shoes, so she ran down to Hermione's dorm.

"Hey Gin. Where are you going?" Hermione asked, looking up from her book.

"I'm going to see Blaise. Do you have a pair of shoes I can borrow?" Ginny asked, giving Hermione puppy dog eyes. Her bushy-haired friend laughed.

"Cease fire, I have a pair of sandals for you." Hermione rooted around in her trunk and produced a pair of high, strappy sandals. Ginny laughed in delight. "Hold on, I have something else for you too. I was going to save these for Christmas, but I can get you something else."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked.

Hermione handed her a box. "Open it." Ginny did as instructed. Inside was a silver necklace with a black glass flower, and there was a matching bracelet inside the circle of the necklace.

"Merlin's beard, Hermione, they're _beautiful!"_ Ginny gasped. She felt her eyes begin to swim with tears. She ran forward and hugged the other girl. She carefully put the sandals and her new jewellery on.

"Just go, Ginny. Don't be back too late. And remember to disillusion yourself too." Hermione said. She stood and pecked Ginny on the cheek. "Go on, he's waiting."

"Thank you Hermione, you're the greatest!" Ginny said, hearing Hermione laugh gently as she ran down the stairs. She passed Harry, Dean and Neville, and all of their eyes bugged out of their heads when they saw her short skirt and gentle curves. She smirked as she tried to climb out of the portrait hole gracefully. She finally succeeded and walked down the Seventh floor corridor to the Room of Requirement. There was a door there, which meant Blaise was already inside.

She opened the door carefully and peeked inside. The room was decorated in green, but it was a pale jade colour instead of the Slytherin Emerald. There was a large mahogany bed in the centre of the room, and it had fresh white sheets and tons of pillows. Blaise was sitting on a black sofa, his back to her. She could smell wine and cinnamon, and the mixture of the scents was simply delicious.

"Blaise," said Ginny softly, walking over to the sofa he was sitting on. He stood up, looked her over and then pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Ginevra, you look beautiful." Blaise replied, his eyes staring down into hers. She sighed quietly, and he pulled her into a searing kiss. Ginny felt like she was melting into him and she could feel herself get hotter and hotter.

"I missed you so much." Ginny admitted. Blaise's hands stopped trying to find the zip to her dress. Her face flared red. One finger gently hooked under her chin, pulling her face up to meet Blaise's.

"Don't be ashamed to say that. I missed you more than I thought I could bear." Blaise looked surprised when Ginny flung her arms around his neck, pulling him down towards her, kissing him with all she had. "Keep doing that and we'll never make it to the bed!"

"I don't care," Ginny whimpered. "I want you."

Ginny gasped when Blaise gave up trying to get the dress off manually. He tapped his wand on her dress and it fell apart. She had decided not to wear a bra with the dress, as she didn't really need to, so Blaise latched himself onto one. She already had a small bruise blossoming when he moved onto her right breast. She tore at his clothes, desperately trying to get them off. She pointed her wand at his clothes and muttered "Diffindo." They tore apart at the seams.

"You really are quite saucy," Blaise chuckled as he picked her up and threw her down on the bed. She watched as he removed his shoes, socks and boxers. She eyed him appreciatively as he stood there in front of her, in all his naked glory. He laughed again, his rich voice softly echoing around the Room.

Ginny knelt in front of him on the bed, her eyes level with his shoulders. He reached down to kiss her, and she swore she felt it all the way to her toes. She pulled at his shoulders and he fell on top of her on the bed. His hands ran up and down her sides, stroking her thighs. His fingers danced across the front of her thighs, landing on her centre. She moaned as his fingers moved rhythmically in and out of her. Her hand stroked down his chest and his abdomen to finally land on his length. He gasped when her fingers curled around him, and they moved in harmony with each other. Ginny let go of Blaise, and rolled over so that she was on top of him. He positioned himself under her, and then he was inside of her. She felt as though her body was on fire as they moved with each other in perfect synchronicity. And then Ginny screamed as she felt her release. She was barely aware of Blaise moaning her name as he joined her. She collapsed on top of him, barely managing to keep her eyes open.

"Ginny," whispered Blaise. "Ginny, go to sleep, my love."

"Huh?" Ginny answered stupidly. _Blaise just called me his _love, she thought.

"You're tired. Go to sleep."

"Okay." Ginny said, succumbing to the darkness surrounding her.

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><p><em>Why is it so uncomfortable? I don't like it. It's too hot… far too hot. Where's Blaise? I need to open my eyes but they feel like they're glued together. Come on… come on… open your fucking eyes Ginny! There… Merlin's Beard, what happened here? I'm still in the Room of Requirement, but it's completely empty, save for a fire, and the… hold on, why am I sitting in a chained chair? And why is…?<em>

"_Finally awake then… Look at the way you're dressed! You're a little whore aren't you, Ginny Weasley?"_

"_Look who's talking Parkinson. After all, you're always flitting around Draco Malfoy, when anyone can see he doesn't give a rat's arse about you." I retorted fiercely._

"_You'll regret that, you dirty blood traitor. _Crucio!_" Parkinson cried. I screamed, despite my effort to stay silent. My back arched in the chair, my skin touching the chains, which were suddenly white-hot. I was burning everywhere. Pansy Parkinson cackled cruelly._

"Blaise_," I cried. I was sobbing while Parkinson laughed._

"_Why would he help you? You're a Gryffindor, and he's a _Slytherin!_ You are polar opposites. You're alone, Ginevra Weasley, completely alone." Parkinson laughed and hit her with another torturing spell. _

"_Godric, help me." I whispered._

"_On Slytherin's soul I swear, you will die in this room, and your traitorous blood will paint the walls. It's such a shame, isn't it, that the first Weasley girl to be born for hundreds of years will die alone, at the hands of Draco Malfoy's future wife." Parkinson cackled again._

"_You won't be alone." Blaise said, stepping out of the wall._

"_Oh Blaise, please help me! Please, Blaise. I love you; please don't let me die here." I screamed, flinching away from the scorching chains that were tying me to the chair. My skin was blistering from the heat. I looked at Blaise, pleading with him. He laughed in my face._

"_Why would I help you? You're a dirty little blood traitor who was best friends with a mudblood. You are nothing to me. And as for your love, I'd rather not have it. You might dirty me." Blaise smirked at the exact moment my heart broke. Wait, Hermione. Where was Hermione?_

"_No… no, no, please don't say that. Please, Blaise. Where are my friends? Where's Hermione?"_

"_Your ridiculous mudblood friend is dead. Her blood turned the entire floor of the Great Hall brown. It's so dirty, see? Pansy, before you become Draco's exclusively, might I borrow you?" Blaise said silkily. He ignored my screams, my pain._

_Pansy threw herself at Blaise while I watched. They kissed with such ferocity that for a second, I forgot my pain and suddenly felt like I was watching something I really shouldn't be. I looked down at myself for the first time, noticing that my black bra was torn in half, so my breasts were quite visible to them. I was wearing a thong as well. My head snapped up when I heard Parkinson moan. Blaise was eating her in the most sexual way. When he stopped, she hissed, scratching her long nails down his bare back. She drew blood and I growled. _

"_Oh, look how protective the blood traitor is of you, Blaise!" Parkinson sniggered. It turned into a moan of delight when Blaise kissed her again, and then lined himself up so he was in the perfect position. He pushed inside of her, and she screamed in pleasure. I dug my nails into my palms, breaking the skin. I watched with tears streaming down my face as Blaise repeatedly pumped in and out of her. I shut my eyes as tightly as I could when they both climaxed. My tears still seeped out of my closed eyelids._

"_Let's finish this now, my darling. Would you like to do it, or shall I?" Blaise murmured to Parkinson._

"_You can do it, but wait. I'll tell you when you can. For now, I must say something… Crucio!" Parkinson cried, and a million burning knives pierced me everywhere on my body. I thought I was going to pass out, but I could still hear Parkinson's manic laugh._

"_It's all inside your head, Ginny. It's not real, it's not real." I whispered to myself._

"_Enough playing, Pansy, I want this over. I have much more pressing issues to deal with. Avada Kedavra. I saw a flash of green light._

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><p>"Ginny! Ginny, wake up!" Blaise was shaking her. Her eyes snapped open and she just stared at him in horror. He gathered her up in a hug, crushing her to him. He was completely oblivious to the tears pouring from her eyes.<p>

Ginny wrenched herself away from Blaise. She slid on her dress, repairing it with her wand before she did. She gathered up her shoes in her hand and ran from the Room. Her feet slapped the bare stone floor as she sprinted back towards Gryffindor Tower. She spat the password at the Fat Lady, who let her in without as much as a comment. Ginny tried to run across the Common Room, towards the stairs to her dormitory, but someone caught her around the waist. She screamed.

"Ginny, shut up! It's me, it's Harry!"

Ginny stopped screaming and struggling. She turned around and buried her face in Harry's chest, sobbing her heart out. He picked her up and carried her to the sofa, sitting down before placing her next to him. Ginny curled up against him, still sobbing. Harry had both his arms wound around her, keeping her tucked in his side.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Harry asked her quietly. Ginny shook her head, sniffing and hiccoughing.

"I don't want to talk about it Harry, please don't make me." said Ginny. Her voice was hoarse and her throat hurt.

"Okay. Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes please Harry." Ginny said, dissolving into tears again when she thought about her dream. Harry rubbed soothing circles into her back, and Ginny could feel her head get foggier by the minute.

Eventually, Ginny hiccoughed and felt her eyes droop shut, thinking that the tapestries of Gryffindor Tower were too close to the colour of blood for her liking.

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><p><strong>What did you think? Next up is Draco's chapter, and I have had a phrase challenge for it, so watch this space. <strong>

**I love your reviews, and I'd love even more - your opinions do matter to me. And please, give me more word/phrase challenges! They're really fun to do. I'll be updating soon, but until then have fun, and give 'Afterwards' by annewed a read if you like the idea of George/Hermione.**

**Lottie.**


	16. Nightmares

**As requested by BelleBelles, I have included a challenge phrase. This was a hard Chapter to write, and I found myself really struggling towards the end, so if it's really choppy and disorganised, I apologise. I do hope you enjoy it though anyways.**

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><p>Blaise stumbled into the dorm and collapsed on his bed. Draco jumped up, hearing a very deep sigh coming from the other boy's bed.<p>

"Lumos," muttered Draco. The tip of his wand flared with light, and Draco climbed out of his bed to creep over to Blaise's. He poked his head around the emerald curtain to see his friend sitting on the bed cross-legged, with his face in his hands. "Oh shit."

"Fuck off Draco." Blaise said bitterly. The impacts of his words were lessened by the choked, muffled sob that followed them.

"No, I don't think I will." Draco retorted, sitting down at the end of Blaise's bed. He waved his wand, and the curtains snapped shut around the two boys. "Now, what happened? Or do I have to steal Snape's Veritaserum?"

"Fuck off, Malfoy. I won't tell you again."

"Yes you will, and I'll carry on ignoring you. Now tell me what the fuck is wrong with you."

"No." Blaise growled. His face was still buried in his hands. When he saw that Draco wasn't going anywhere, he tried to get up.

"Incarcerous," whispered Draco. Thin ropes burst out of his wand, tying Blaise to the bed. Blaise kicked out, nearly catching Draco's jaw with his foot. "Whoops a daisy, Blaise. I think my wand must have slipped." Draco said, much louder. He grinned at the other boy.

"Fuck you Malfoy. You're a little prick! Fucking cunt, you are! Draco Malfoy, _LET ME GO!" _Blaise roared the last part at the top of his lungs. Suddenly, a pillow landed on top of Blaise's mouth.

"Shut the fuck up, will you, Blaise? I'm trying to sleep here!" Theo said, sitting up. "Slytherin's soul, Draco, what did you tie him up for? I didn't think you were an iron, but even so, that's kinky shit."

"What?" Draco asked.

"Tying Blaise up to his bed? It's like I said, mate. Kinky."

"No, I heard that. What was that about me being an iron?"

"I said I didn't think you were an iron, considering how you're going out with Granger." Theo rubbed his neck in the typical 'awkward guy' gesture.

"Go back to sleep, will you?" Draco said irritably. He looked down at Blaise, and removed the pillow. "Right, start talking, my friend. Or I might just have to leave you like this all night."

"Fine, I'll fucking tell you. I think Ginevra may have broken up with me. Are you happy now?" Blaise spat.

Draco whistled through his teeth. "Fuck, what did you do?"

"Nothing. I did nothing wrong. I told her to sleep; she has a nightmare, wakes up and runs out of the Room, sobbing her heart out."

"She broke up with you over some stupid dream?"

"Yes. Now let me go." Blaise said, rolling over to bury his face in his pillow when Draco did so.

Draco climbed into his own bed, half horrified and half amused at the news he had just received. _Ginny Weasley is fiercer than a werewolf. She wouldn't ditch Blaise over some_ _dream_, Draco thought to himself. He thought that if he had the chance, he would try to talk to her in the morning. He rolled onto his stomach, one arm buried underneath his pillow, and the other resting above it, next to his head. The last thing he remembered was a feeling of incredulity at Ginny dumping Blaise. And then he fell asleep.

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><p><em>The floor felt hard under Draco. He opened his eyes. No bloody wonder it was hard. He was sleeping in the middle of the corridor! He stood up, brushing down his robes. He appeared to be in a secret passageway – one that was still a very big secret to the rest of the school. He heard a woman's laugh coming from the room at the end, and it was strangely familiar. A male's laugh chimed in. His fingers curled around the door handle and he pulled…<em>

"_Hermione?" Draco gasped. Of all the people he expected to see, Hermione hadn't even made the top ten. His friend Blaise had, though. _

"_Oh, Draco, you're here. Good, we were wondering if we ought to get you ourselves." Hermione said. Now Draco was really looking at her, her jet black hair was lightening and growing out of the severe bob that was the trademark hairstyle of Pansy Parkinson._

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_Well, you said to come and get you once we'd disposed of Ginevra Weasley. Hermione drank some Polyjuice Potion and changed into Pansy." Blaise chimed in. Now that Draco was looking at his friend, he realised he looked very… ruffled, almost. It was a big change from Blaise's normal neatness – he was usually impeccable. _

"_What do you mean by disposed?" Draco said slowly. A feeling of dread had settled in his stomach, and he felt queasy._

_Hermione cackled. "Well, we tortured and killed her. What did you think we meant?" She gestured to a chained chair in the middle of the Room. Ginny Weasley's dead, blistered and bloodied body was settled in the chair. He could feel the blood drain out of his face and turn glacial. He turned back to Hermione and Blaise. Hermione was doing up the buttons that ran up the front of her dress. _

"_Why did you do it?" Draco asked. His voice was barely audible in the Room of Requirement._

"_Which bit, darling?" Hermione replied sarcastically._

"_All of it. How could you do it, both of you? Ginny was your best friend, Hermione, and Blaise, you were dating her!" Draco exploded._

"_Well, she was a blood traitor!" Blaise said._

"_And what about Hermione, isn't she a mudblood?"_

"_I'm right here. None of that matters any more. I tortured her, and then sweet Blaise stepped out of the damn wall. She _begged _him to help her, and he didn't!" Hermione sneered. It was an alien look on her face. "Well, then I tortured her some more, once Blaise had broken her dirty heart. Oh, and then, just to twist the knife a bit, I fucked Blaise right in front of her. And then he killed her."_

_Draco felt numb, and then an icy cold burst through him. Blaise laughed and pulled Hermione in for a kiss. _

"_Draco, my friend, I'll see you on the other side. Avada Kedavra," Blaise said. They were the last words Draco heard._

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><p>"Fuck!" Draco yelled, bolting upright in his bed. He was drenched in sweat, but his skin was cold to the touch. He picked up his wand. "<em>Lumos,<em>" he said. The bed was bathed in light. Draco's sheets were tangled around him, and his palms hurt from where he'd dug his finger into them, whilst unconscious.

Draco got up out of the bed and made his way to the showers. He stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind him, turning on the shower and standing under the flow of hot water. He tried to let it burn away the feeling of guilt and sickness in his stomach, but it just wouldn't go away. He soaped himself down, trying to remove all evidences of his nightmare. When he finally felt clean enough, he turned the water off, and dried himself down. When he walked back into the dorm, he was pleasantly surprised to see that his bed was freshly made, with new, clean sheets.

Draco didn't go to his bed though. He tiptoed over to Blaise's bedside cabinet, rooted in the drawer, and finally found the two-way mirror. He closed the drawer and snuck over to his bed. After he'd shut the curtains around his bed, he put a silencing charm upon them and then sat back on the bed, the mirror in his hand.

"Ginevra Weasley," whispered Draco. Moments later, Harry Potter's face appeared.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry muttered. As usual, his hair was untidy, and his green eyes glared at him.

"I want to speak to Ginny. It's important – regarding her nightmare earlier tonight."

Harry's face softened a bit. "Good luck getting anything out of her. She's not saying a word to me about it, so I doubt it would be any different for you."

"Potter, please let me try. Like I said, it's important." Draco sighed. Harry frowned, and then Ginny's tired and tear-streaked face appeared where Harry's was only a moment before.

"Draco." She said curtly.

"Ginny, what was your nightmare about earlier?"

Her face hardened. "Why do you want to know? So you can tell Zabini?"

"No. I don't want to discuss this with him. Were you in the Room of Requirement when you were in the dream?" Draco asked. He rubbed his eyes.

"Yes. It was a circular room when I was in the dream."

"There was a chained chair, wasn't there? It was in the centre of the room."

Ginny gasped. "How did you know?" She asked shakily. Through the mirror, she tied her hair back in a messy bun at the top of her head.

"I know, because I had a similar dream. You were in that chair, Ginny. Tell me what happened to you."

"I-I woke up there. Pansy Parkinson was torturing me. And then Blaise came, but he wouldn't help me. He laughed while she tortured me." Ginny broke off, sobbing. Draco saw an arm wind around her slender body, and wasn't at all surprised to see Harry embracing her, his face contorted with a mixture of sympathy and rage. "He said he didn't love me. Parkinson was saying that Hermione was dead, that they'd killed her too. And then Parkinson and Blaise were having sex, right there in front of me, on the floor. After that, Parkinson tortured me again. Then Blaise killed me. He did the Avada."

Draco was surprised to find tears dripping down his cheeks after Ginny dissolved in a fresh wave of tears. She clung to Harry, who was glaring at him through the mirrors.

"You said it was important. Why?" Harry asked.

"I woke up in the middle of a corridor in the school; I'm thinking the Seventh Floor. I walked into the Room of Requirement, and saw Ginny's dead body in the chair. Hermione was in the process of changing back into herself. Polyjuice Potion. I asked them why they'd done it, and they said it was because she was a blood traitor. They told me everything that had happened to Ginny. Then Blaise kissed Hermione, and told me he'd see me on the other side. He killed me too."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"You don't. But I know you believe me, Potter. Something weird is going on. It's uncommon for two people to have consecutive dreams like that."

Ginny looked up at Draco, her eyes rimmed in red. "So what do we do?"

"Are you breaking things off with Blaise?"

Ginny nodded sadly, new tears starting to overflow from her eyes. "Yes, I think I am. I know it's a stupid reason to do it, but I can't look at him in the same way."

"It's not stupid. It'll be hard for me too. Ginny, you need to stick with Harry. He's the only one who knows about all of this. I don't know if you should tell Hermione." Harry and Ginny both nodded solemnly to Draco. "We'll see how things go in the next couple of days. Try to take care, Ginny. Goodnight, both of you."

"I'm sorry Draco. Good night." Ginny said, before Draco saw his own reflection in the mirror, instead of the two Gryffindors.

Draco got out of his bed and padded over to Blaise's, returning the mirror to the drawer. He looked in at his friend, who was fast asleep, his face contorted into lines of worry. Draco felt his brow furrow slightly, before he settled into his own bed. Thankfully, he had a dreamless sleep.

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><p><strong>So, I hope you thought that was okay. I still want someone to suggest me some challenge words or phrases that they would like to see somewhere in this fic. Please tell me what you likedislike, because reviews are love.**

**Lottie.**


	17. Conversations and Revelations

**I'm sorry, I know it's been a few days. I had a bit of a block, so I thought I'd wait a few days before coming back to it. I hope this chapter is better than the last. Thank you for your reviews - I'm amazed you guys still enjoy the story, despite how choppy the last couple of chapters have been. I love hearing from you, and I would still love some challenge words/phrases.**

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><p>Hermione woke up to the sound of sobbing. She slid out of her bed and padded across the dormitory to the winding staircase that led down towards the Common Room. She crept down the stone steps, fighting the gasp that came to her lips when she saw Ginny curled up in Harry's arms.<p>

"Hello Hermione," said Harry. How did he know it was her?

"Harry, hi. What's going on?" Hermione said quietly. She moved around to sit on the sofa across from her two friends.

"She had a nightmare when she was with Blaise. She's going to break up with him."

"What? Over a nightmare?" Hermione frowned. _There must be more to it than that_, she thought. Harry nodded, his arms tightening protectively around the red-haired girl.

"Yes. She's not sure if she can trust him anymore. I heard her telling Draco about it, through the mirror." Harry said. Hermione studied his face. He'd clearly not been sleeping well, hence why he was up when Ginny came bursting into the Common Room. Then something within her snapped.

"Why would she tell Draco?"

"He had a similar dream. In fact, his dream was set exactly after hers, and it was under the same kind of circumstances. I don't know if it should be me to tell you, to be honest, Hermione. I love you, you're like a sister to me, but the dreams are weird. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence." Harry said tiredly.

"What do you mean, Harry?"

"Well, either someone has meddled with Ginny and Draco's heads or something… else is going on."

Hermione felt her face harden. What on earth was Harry talking about? She looked at Ginny again. The girl's red hair was tangled, and her eyes were still puffy from crying, although she was now asleep. There were tear tracks on her pale cheeks, and then Hermione felt herself soften. Tears welled in her own eyes when she saw just how fragile her young friend was. There was vulnerability in Ginny that was rarely seen by even her own family.

"You still love her, don't you?" asked Hermione. Harry nodded his reply. "Try and get her to go to Madam Pomfrey in the morning. Go with her. By the sounds of things, she won't want to be around me."

"Hermione, it's not –" Harry started, but she cut him off.

"No, I understand, Harry. I'm not angry. I'm not even that upset. If she needs her space, that is exactly what I'll give her. She'll talk when she's ready. I just hope nothing has changed between us."

Harry shook his head, looking amused. "Hermione, you are still my sister in every way but blood. And it will stay like that no matter what you do. Of course nothing's changed."

"Thank you for that, Harry. Look after her, will you? If she sticks by her decision to finish things with Blaise, she's really going to need your support and company. I'll see you at breakfast?" Hermione asked, smiling sadly.

"Hopefully. It depends if Ginny needs me to go with her to Madam Pomfrey."

"Yeah, okay. Goodnight, Harry. Sleep well."

"You too, Hermione." Harry said. He smiled back at her. His smile mirrored hers. Things were changing within Gryffindor, and Hermione didn't know how they were going to turn out.

She climbed into her bed, but she found she couldn't sleep. After an hour of tossing and turning, she finally sat up. Hermione dug around in her school bag for _Hogwarts: A History_, and decided to read it for the umpteenth time, by wand light. By the time the sun was beginning to rise over the Scottish mountains, she had finished the book, and was halfway through another. She decided to have a quick shower and get dressed in her school robes.

As Hermione snuck down through the Common Room, she saw Harry and Ginny still curled up together on the sofa, both of them fast asleep. Her heart hurt a bit when she saw them. She was the only one to notice the glances he gave her, and she knew that Ginny had fancied him for years. They were made for each other, no matter who Ginny was dating, or thought she loved.

Hermione sighed and walked quickly and quietly down to the lake. She settled herself under her favourite tree, and stared out at the mountains. She watched as various owls flew to and away from the school.

"Good morning, Miss Granger. I must say, it's not a big surprise that you are here." Professor Dumbledore conjured himself a comfy armchair next to Hermione and settled himself in it.

Hermione jumped. "Good morning, sir. May I ask why it isn't a surprise?"

Dumbledore chuckled next to her. "Miss Granger, I know you are worried that your friends are keeping secrets from you. You come out here a lot when you are tense, or worried."

Hermione smiled at her Headmaster warmly. "You never miss a trick, do you, sir?"

"Oh no, Miss Granger, I do not. When you are as old, and as wise as I am, you learn to be very observant. My office overlooks the grounds. I see you here a fair bit."

Hermione frowned, and stared out at the lake. She was surprised to see Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix, flying overhead. She was even more surprised when the red and gold bird landed next to her, nuzzling her arm with its head.

"May I ask why you are here, Professor?"

"Of course, I didn't tell you. I must ask that you do not allow Harry to escort young Miss Weasley to the Hospital Wing. It must be you, Miss Granger. Miss Weasley is full of doubts right now, and only you can help her get past them. Once she has told you what happened, I would like you to come straight to my office. The password is Skittles. I do love muggle sweets." With that, Professor Dumbledore had risen from his chair and vanished it. He gave Hermione one long, solemn look, and he walked back towards the castle.

Hermione sat there for another ten minutes, until Fawkes nudged her shoulder with his head. She sighed and stood up, knowing that she would have to go and face Ginny. Hermione knew that things would be tense for a while, because Ginny would not tell Hermione what was going on. She pondered the situation while she walked up to Gryffindor Tower. She muttered the password absently and drew up all the courage she could muster before sitting next to Ginny on a crimson sofa.

"Good morning, Ginny." Hermione said softly.

"Morning, Hermione," said Ginny.

"Come on, we're going to the hospital wing. Dumbledore's orders, he just asked me to take you there."

"Okay."

The two girls walked in silence to the hospital wing, though Hermione wanted to talk things out with her friend. Just before they got there however, Ginny tugged on her arm.

"I need to talk to you, Hermione."

"I know. I figured as much when I saw you and Harry curled up on the sofa last night. What's going on, Ginny?"

Ginny's face grew cold and hard. "It's not like that Hermione."

"I know. I wasn't talking about Harry. I was talking about the fact that your eyes were puffy, like you'd been crying." Hermione replied calmly. If Dumbledore wanted her to talk to Ginny, she'd have to maintain her calm and patience.

"Harry told you about the nightmare?" Ginny asked, looking as if she was struggling to stay collected.

"He told me you had one, and that it was closely linked with one that Draco had after yours. He didn't tell me the nature of it, or what happened in the dream. He said it wasn't his place to do so. I'm not going to pressure you to tell me, Ginny. You'll do it if you want."

Ginny nodded and took a deep breath. "Harry's a good guy. I may as well tell you, because I know Draco probably will. Please don't get upset over this. Last night, after I'd seen… Well, I-I had a nightmare. I was in the Room of Requirement, and Pansy Parkinson was torturing me. I was in a chained chair. My bra was ripped and I was wearing the smallest underpants I've ever seen in my life. She kept using the Cruciatus curse on me. And then Blaise appeared, and I begged him to make her stop. I told him I loved him, and he wouldn't listen. They said you were dead, and that your blood was coating the floor of the Great Hall. And… he said he wouldn't love a blood traitor like me."

"Oh, Merlin, that's awful!" Hermione gasped.

"It's not the worst of it. They shagged in front of me, Hermione. And then she started to torture me again. Blaise told her to stop playing around. Then he Avada'd me."

"Fuck. Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I should tell you about Draco's dream now. His one directly involves you. Oh shit, I don't know where to start. Please don't get mad at him."

Hermione frowned, confused by Ginny's discomfort. "I won't get mad. Please carry on, Ginny."

The red haired girl nodded. "His dream began at the door to the Room. He walked in to see Blaise and Pansy doing their clothes back up. He saw me, dead in the centre of the room in that fucking chair. Well, as he was talking to Parkinson and Blaise, she sort of morphed into you. She was Polyjuice Potion. He was yelling at them for killing me, asking why they would do it. And to cut a long story short, Blaise killed him too."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "That's why you were funny with me. Well, that explains it. But it's just a dream, isn't it? You know that I would never do that to you, Ginny."

"I-I know. I just freaked out, you know? But I never really doubted you. I know you, Hermione. I know you would never; you _could _never do that to anyone, let alone me."

"But you don't know if you can trust Blaise." Hermione finished for her in a whisper. Ginny nodded. "It was only a dream though, Gin. I don't think he ever would do that to you."

"It's not just that though. I thought I was beginning to fall for him. But I ran into the Common Room yesterday and basically straight into Harry's arms. It felt so right with him, Hermione. I mean, Blaise is brilliant. He's smart, funny, and he is amazing in all the right ways. But I don't feel that spark with him. Harry's different."

Hermione understood, but she couldn't help but feel really bad for Blaise. He was smart, and he dressed well. He was always very kind to Ginny, which got him in Hermione's good books. She nodded to the younger girl. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to tell him." Ginny said simply. "I have every intention of being completely honest with him."

"I admire that. I just hope he doesn't take it too hard."

"Same here," she sighed. "Go on, Hermione, I know Dumbledore wants to talk to you. Go. I'll tell you everything that Madam Pomfrey tells me. I'm sure Dumbledore will have some sort of answers anyway."

"Okay, I will. Take care, Ginny. Be kind to Blaise. I know you guys weren't really even together, but I do believe he cares about you quite a lot." Hermione said. She gave Ginny a hug, and kissed her on the cheek, before setting off to Dumbledore's office. She walked through the empty hallways, deep in thought about the dreams, and of Blaise. She was thinking so hard that she missed the blonde boy staring at her from behind a statue. His grey eyes held suspicions and accusations and they followed her as she walked up to the gargoyle protecting the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office.

Hermione stared up at the old gargoyle, who smiled at her.

"Password, please, Miss."

"Skittles," murmured Hermione. She patted the gargoyle as it leapt aside and started up the staircase. She raised her hand to knock on the door, when it creaked open to reveal a smiling Dumbledore behind his desk.

"Hello again, Miss Granger. I have breakfast here for you, when you are ready. Please, sit."

"Thank you, sir, I appreciate it. I spoke to Ginny."

"Yes, I'm glad you two could patch things up with each other. It is a shame for Mr Zabini, though not much so for Mr Potter."

"I would ask how you know all that, sir, but I honestly don't know if I'd like the answer." Hermione grinned, and sat down in the chair opposite Dumbledore's own.

"You are very wise, Miss Granger."

"Thank you, Professor. That means a lot, coming from you. I wonder if I might take you up on that breakfast, sir. I am ravenous." Hermione said, blushing slightly.

Dumbledore chuckled softly. He waved his wand, and a plate full of Danish pastries appeared, along with a pot of tea and two china cups. He reached forward to pluck a pastry from the large plate and immediately bit into it. While he was chewing, he gestured for Hermione to take one. She swished her own wand, and a plate appeared in front of her. She took a cherry and chocolate pastry, and poured herself and Dumbledore a cup of tea each.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. Now, I am sure you are anxious to discuss the dreams and their significance. Obviously, for both Miss Weasley and Mr Malfoy's dreams, the link is you. What is odd is that their dreams are consecutive. It is unheard of." Hermione noticed that he looked slightly perturbed as he said this.

"So you have no idea why it's happening?" Hermione asked. She felt slightly crestfallen, because she was desperate to know what was going on.

"I wouldn't say I had no idea, Miss Granger. I will need to do a little research. I can tell you this though: it is not a coincidence. It is something to do with you, Miss Granger. I will tell you as soon as I know what is going on. For now, though, I believe your friends Miss Weasley and Mr Malfoy will be safe from any more dreams. I am certain that this is a… one off."

"That's good to hear, Professor. How long do you think it will take for you to discover the reason for this?"

"Not too long, I think. I must ask that you keep one eye open, Miss Granger. For now, though, finish your breakfast. I shall give you a note to give to Professor Slughorn that will explain why you are late to his lesson."

Hermione had two more pastries and another cup of tea before she stood. "Thank you, Professor. Not only for the breakfast, but for taking the time to talk to me and help me understand what is happening with my friends."

"Not to worry, Miss Granger. It has been a pleasure to have you here. Now, pip-pip, off to Potions. You will find that your bag is just by the door, and it has everything you need in it. Good bye, Miss Granger. Have a good day." Professor Dumbledore said serenely.

"Thank you very much Professor. I hope you have a good day too, sir. Good bye." Hermione thought she heard a light chuckle as she walked down the spiral staircase. She had a light feeling in her chest as she strolled down to the dungeons. She walked into the class, ignoring the awed whispers at her lateness.

"Miss Granger! It's about time you got here, girl!" Professor Slughorn boomed cheerily.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was with Professor Dumbledore. I have a note, sir." Hermione smiled as she handed over the small scroll. Horace Slughorn examined the note, finally nodding and giving her a soft nudge towards her seat.

Hermione sat down, noticing that the chair next to her was unoccupied. She looked around the classroom while she got her books out of her bag. Draco Malfoy was nowhere to be seen, much to her surprise. He rarely missed a Potions class. She turned her attention to the instructions on the blackboard. It was for the potion they were going to brew the next day. Hermione thought it was bloody funny, considering how fragile her lover was going to be with her when she finally saw him.

The potion they were to brew was a love potion.

Amortentia.

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><p><strong>Did you like it? I know I haven't given a cause for these dreams yet, and that is for a good reason. I was hoping that YOU, the reader, could suggest a reason for the dreams. I would still like some challenge words, by the way. I'll start writing Draco's chapter later today, so that should be up in the next two days.<strong>

**Drop me a review, because I like to read them (and they give me a great ego boost lol).**

**Lottie.**


	18. Amortentia

**Sorry for the delay in updating, I was truly lazy and didn't start writing until _yesterday_. I know, bad Lottie. I would love to thank my darling reviewers, because honestly, you guys make my days! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter, anyhow. **

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><p>Draco stared at Hermione from behind a statue of a knight. He knew that Hermione wouldn't see him, but he was puzzled to see her smiling as she walked. He narrowed his eyes. <em>What is she up to?<em> Draco wondered to himself. His eyes followed her as she walked up to the Gargoyle that stood guard for Dumbledore's office. He watched her grin at the gargoyle after giving it the password. When he could no longer see Hermione, he turned to walk to the Great Hall. And then he was stopped by Madam Poppy Pomfrey, the school Healer.

"Mr Malfoy, could you come with me, please?" Madam Pomfrey asked kindly.

Draco nodded his assent and followed the Healer to the hospital wing of the school. He had never been inside Pomfrey's office before, but he found it was full of interesting phials of different potions. Although it was a small office, it was bright and airy, and the sunlight streaming in from the window on the right wall illuminated all of the bottles and phials. There were streaks of blue, green, purple, red and yellow colouring the walls and the stone floor. Draco tore his eyes away from all the colours and took a closer look at the small office. There was a mahogany desk, with a sunny yellow, leather armchair settled behind it. The colour of the chair didn't surprise him, nor did it intrigue him. Her demeanour suggested that she was a Hufflepuff in her time at Hogwarts. He noticed the neat stack of parchment on her desk, with an eagle-feather quill and a pot of ink sitting alongside it. There was a wooden chair in front of her desk with a single maroon cushion on it.

Draco looked away from his surroundings, and into the face of the Healer. "So, Madam Pomfrey, what is it that you wanted?"

"Well, Professor Dumbledore seems to be concerned over the dreams you and Miss Weasley had last night. I have been asked to give you a phial of Dreamless Sleep potion. The Headmaster also wishes for me to… well, he would like you discuss your dream with me, in as much detail as possible. If he learns the ins and outs of the dreams, he can determine the cause of them – and what it has to do with Miss Granger."

Draco considered the Healer. "Did Ginny tell you hers?"

"Yes, Miss Weasley did divulge the events of her dream. Will you do the same, Mr Malfoy?" Madam Pomfrey asked softly. She indicated the chair across from her desk. Draco eyed it carefully, and then proceeded to sit down.

"I have Potions first lesson, Madam Pomfrey. How long will this take?"

"It will take as long as it has to, Mr Malfoy. Professor Slughorn will no doubt be notified by the Headmaster. I happen to know he's only lecturing today – you will be making a potion tomorrow. I am sure one of your classmates will give you their notes. Right, so can you tell me where the dream begins?"

"Sure, but I haven't had breakfast yet, Madam Pomfrey." Draco said slowly. Madam Pomfrey gave an exasperated sigh and called for a house elf, ordering it to bring up breakfast and drinks for Draco, while he sat in the wooden chair sheepishly. He thanked the house elf when the tray was placed on the desk in front of him. He spread a slice of toast with raspberry jam and took a bite out of it, quelling the grumbling from his stomach.

"Finished, Mr Malfoy?" Pomfrey asked him when the last of the toast had been eaten. Draco nodded hastily, taking a mouthful of pumpkin juice before readying himself to tell the Healer what happened in his dream.

"Well, it started with me waking up in the middle of the Seventh Floor corridor, and I'm sure you are familiar with the Room of Requirement…?" Draco started, carrying on with the plot of the dream.

By the time he had finished telling Madam Pomfrey about the dream, there was only ten minutes left of Potions, and as the Healer had rightly said, there was no point in going. Pomfrey had locked her notes in a drawer, frowning, and shooed Draco out of the hospital. Draco felt a lot better about telling a trained Healer about what happened in his dream, and he hoped that Dumbledore would find a reason behind the madness of the linked dreams.

Draco walked down the Fourth Floor corridor to Transfiguration, knowing full well that he was nearly ten minutes early, but he was happy the corridors were empty, because it was quiet. He was completely alone with his thoughts, which was exactly what he wanted at that moment. He heard McGonagall teaching the 5th Years how to transfigure a hedgehog into a pincushion. He smirked when he heard McGonagall's shrill screech because of receiving a bite from one of the students' pincushions, until she took 15 points from Slytherin.

6th Year Transfiguration went by at a snail's pace, because they were only reading from the book. He kept getting distracted by Hermione's note taking, and he even found himself smiling when she shook her curls back over her shoulders impatiently. His thoughts returned to the odd dreams, and he thought about the connection of his and Ginny's dreams. It was almost certainly Hermione, but then it could also be Blaise Zabini, his best friend. _No, I'm not going to think about it anymore. What is it the muggles say? Ah, yes, innocent until proven guilty_, thought Draco. He would find Hermione at lunchtime and talk to her as though nothing had changed. After all, they needed to talk about Potions the next day anyway.

He found her in the Library, the first place he had looked. "Hermione," whispered Draco, right next to her ear. She jumped.

"Draco! Hi, I've barely seen you all day. How are you?" She whispered quietly. Draco returned her glittering smile, feeling his heart twinge as he did so.

"I'm fine. Pomfrey wanted to talk to me during Potions, on order of Dumbledore himself. I know that Ginny told you about both dreams. I expected her to, really. But how are you?" Draco added when Hermione's smile faltered.

"I… Yes, she told me. I had breakfast with Dumbledore this morning and-"

"You did _what?"_ Draco exclaimed, rather loudly. Madam Pince hurtled around the bookshelf to stand at the head of the table Draco and Hermione were sitting at.

"Will you keep it _down_?" She hissed venomously, before setting off again.

"Like I said, you did what?" Draco repeated at a much quieter volume.

"I had breakfast with Dumbledore. We were talking at around 6am this morning by the Black Lake. I couldn't sleep, so I went out and sat by the Lake. I like going there to think. Anyways, he wanted me to talk to Ginny. So I did. What about you? I heard you weren't at breakfast this morning." Hermione asked quietly, without looking up from her Defence against the Dark Arts book.

"I had breakfast in Pomfrey's office. Dumbledore wanted me to tell her exactly what happened, to help him find out what's going on."

Hermione looked up and smiled tentatively. "So, we're good?"

"I'd be an idiot if we weren't, because honestly, they're just dreams. They're not visions, they're not real. Of course we're good."

"Well, actually, I think things aren't going to go so well for Blaise. Ginny told me that she's going to finish things with him. She doesn't feel that 'spark' and she knows that they were never truly serious. She's afraid that if she sticks around, she's going to fall in love with him." Hermione whispered. Draco stiffened and his thoughts immediately flickered to the previous night, Blaise coming in so upset.

"She can't!" Draco whispered furiously.

"She's probably already done it, to be honest. Go to him, oh, and here, I put a duplication charm on it. I have the other copy in my bag. You'll need the notes for tomorrow." Hermione said, making a shooing motion with her hands. Draco looked down to the parchment in his hands. It was a list of instructions for a potion they were to brew the next day. Amortentia.

"Thanks, Hermione. See you tomorrow!" Draco called over his shoulder as he sprinted from the library. He heard Madam Pince's shriek as he ran, and a giant grin split his face almost in two. He ran down to the dungeons, where he hoped Blaise would be.

He burst into the dormitory to find Blaise smashing crystal phials against the wall by the door. Draco ducked when one soared past his head. He sat on his trunk, which was at the end of his bed and started repairing all of the phials that lay in splinters by the door. Once they were repaired, he banished them to Blaise's bed and started again. After half an hour of Blaise throwing the phials, and Draco repairing them and banishing them back to Blaise, Draco's friend stopped throwing them.

"She ended it with me, Drake." Blaise said hollowly.

"I heard she might."

"Who did you hear it from?" Bitter, this time.

"Granger," replied Draco softly.

"Of course _she_ would know." Blaise said angrily.

"Watch it, Blaise. You don't want to get shirty with me."

"Try me, Drake!" He roared.

"You know what? I don't understand why you're so angry. You weren't even going out with her. You were fuck buddies. If you care so much, you should have made her yours. She's free to do what she wants with who she wants to do it with. Merlin, Blaise. Your arrangement with her was _your_ idea. It's _you_ who wanted to be fuck buddies. If you're gonna get mad at anyone, my friend, its better directed towards the root of the problem. And guess who that is, Blaise? Oh yeah, it's _you_." Draco finished his rant, breathing hard, and utterly stunned that he was siding with _Ginny Weasley_ instead of his own best friend.

He got up and stalked from the room, not returning until well after dinner. He went straight to bed, not even bothering to see if Blaise was in the dormitory. Blaise would come to him when he was ready. Draco remembered just in time to take his Dreamless Sleep potion, and woke up the next morning feeling better than he had in a while. His first lesson, Potions, was straight after breakfast and he was strangely excited about it, considering they would be brewing Amortentia. But he would be sitting next to his girlfriend, and the thought of an hour sitting right next to her, working closely with her, pleased him no end.

He re-read Hermione's notes as he had two rounds of toast and a hot chocolate, and ran out of the Great Hall, rushing to brush his teeth and put on a subtle dash of cologne before running to Slughorn's classroom down the corridor from the Slytherin Common Room. He wasn't at all surprised to see Hermione standing alone outside the door to Slughorn's classroom, beaming at him.

"Ready?" Hermione asked, looking around before hugging Draco tightly.

"More than you," said Draco into her hair, kissing it quickly before moving out of her embrace.

"I doubt it," she laughed, and Draco couldn't help but grin back at her. "Hmm, Amortentia, this'll be fun. When brewed correctly-"

"It can induce mild to powerful obsessions or infatuations, but never actual love." Draco finished for her, and they shared a smile that they hadn't shared before. It was one of mutual understanding, and they knew that they shared the exact same feelings towards one another at that moment.

They stood chest to chest until Slughorn opened the door and poked his head out of it. He looked down upon his two best students, both from rival houses. "I was going to ask you to come in and start preparing for today's practical lesson, but perhaps you don't need Amortentia?"

Hermione went a deep red, and Draco chuckled before answering. "Sir, we still need to be able to brew the potion, whether we need to use it or not."

Slughorn grinned back at him and said, "Oh, young love. I never would have expected it from you two at least."

Draco winked at Hermione, and motioned for her to go into the classroom before him. They took their seats at the front of the class and began to set out all the apparatus and ingredients that they needed to brew the potion.

"Draco, I think we have everything." Hermione said, looking over her notes again. There was a familiar crease between her brows that appeared only when she was concentrating specifically hard on something.

"Hermione, petal, I want you to test the potion on me."

"Huh?"

"I'm going to try the potion at the end of the lesson." Draco said.

Hermione dropped the scales she had in her hand. She bent to pick them up, checking them thoroughly before placing them on the table and answering him. "Like hell you are, Draco Malfoy. We'd never hear the end of it!"

"Do you trust me?" Draco asked her quietly. Her curls fell back over her shoulders when she looked up to meet his eyes.

"Of course I do. Why on earth should you ask me that?"

"If you trust me, I shall be trying that potion." Draco said. He kissed her on the forehead, and heard her soft sigh as her eyes fluttered shut. At that precise moment, a group of Slytherins burst into the room, and Draco sprang away from Hermione.

"Draco," a familiar drawl came from behind him. He turned to see Pansy Parkinson staring at Hermione with a livid expression on her face.

"What, Parkinson?" Draco replied calmly.

"I wanted to know if you had a spare copy of _Advanced Potion Making_. I left mine in the library by mistake, yesterday."

"You know I don't, Pansy, because you asked me that last month. Why don't you just buy another copy from Flourish and Blotts? For now, I suppose you could look in the store cupboard."

Pansy looked at him levelly and then turned to go back to her desk. He threw Hermione a look of exasperation, which Hermione smirked at. _Merlin, she looks beautiful when she smirks like that_, Draco thought.

"Thanks, though you shouldn't say it so loud." Hermione said absently, but there was a big smile on her face.

"Sorry, I didn't think I'd thought aloud." Draco replied.

"Oh, no need to apologise, my dragon." Hermione murmured as she reached across him for the glass stirrer.

They were the first to finish the Amortentia potion, and they had brewed it perfectly, according to Slughorn. "And so," he boomed to the class, "Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy will test it."

The class drew in a collective gasp and Draco turned to Hermione slowly. "Told you," he muttered, before Hermione poured some into a goblet. He studied the mother of pearl sheen that coated the surface of the potion. He inhaled deeply, smelling vanilla, peppermint and parchment. In short, everything Hermione smelled of.

"Ah, well done, Mr Malfoy. What do you smell?" Boomed Professor Slughorn heartily.

"You, Hermione," he whispered solemnly to the girl next to him. He cleared his throat and said "I smell Vanilla, fresh parchment and peppermint."

"Good, now, drink up!" Slughorn said.

Draco winked at Hermione, so only she and Slughorn could see it. Then he shuddered as though disgusted, made a horrified face and downed the goblet in one. He felt a warm glow fill him after a few seconds, and his face lit up in a huge smile when he saw Hermione standing next to him, with a look of uncertainty on her face.

"Hermione, my petal," said Draco tenderly, and then he gathered her slender frame up in his arms and kissed her for all he was worth. He felt her stiffen against him when the entire class gasped again. He stopped kissing her, and felt a little downcast when she looked obviously relieved. Then a brilliant idea crept into his head. "Hermione Jean Granger, I am in love with you!" Draco yelled at the top of his lungs.

He looked at Hermione, who laughed nervously and then fainted again. He turned to Slughorn and rolled his eyes. "That's the second time she's fainted because I told her I love her. I'll be taking her to the hospital now then, correct?"

"Yes, Mr Malfoy, if you would. Perhaps Mr Potter could help you take her?" Slughorn replied uncertainly. Harry rushed up at once and started putting the books in the correct bags, and put both bags on his shoulder, along with his own.

Draco gathered the unconscious Hermione in his arms and walked out of the classroom, giving Pansy a smile of contentment as he passed her. He was amused to hear a glass shattering behind him. He carried Hermione all the way to the hospital wing, avoiding Peeves, who was determined to float along beside them until Harry shot bursts of water at him. Madam Pomfrey gasped when she saw Hermione in Draco's arms, limp as a broken wand.

"What on earth happened to her?" Pomfrey cried when Draco laid Hermione of one of the beds.

"Well, Madam Pomfrey, she fainted." Draco replied happily.

"I can see that, Mr Malfoy. Exactly why did she faint?" Pomfrey demanded, while pouring a few drops of potion down Hermione's throat.

"I told her I love her in front of a full Potions class. But it is okay, Madam Pomfrey, she fainted a couple of weeks ago when I told her I loved her then. Granted, we were alone that time, but she'll still be fine."

Draco was completely oblivious to the fact that Madam Pomfrey was close to fainting when he walked out of the hospital wing, with Harry directly behind him.

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><p><strong>What did you think? I really enjoyed writing it, especially Hermione fainting again. I love reviews, because to me, they are big golden Galleons in my pocket, so please drop me one or two. :)<strong>

**Lottie.**


	19. Letters to Moony and Padfoot

**Thanks for the reviews, you beautiful people. I have included two requested phrases in this Chapter, from DimitriRoseAngel and unimaginablyevilguycalledbob. I hope you like how I included them. I forewarn you, there is mention of Remus/Sirius coupling in this chappy, and there is also smut.**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

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><p>Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She sat up in the bed in the hospital wing. A cool breeze blew through the room, causing goose-bumps to rise on her alabaster skin. She looked down to find that she was completely naked.<p>

"Fuck!" Hermione muttered, looking around for her clothes. As she peered around the room, she wrapped the blanket around her body, trying to cover herself as much as humanly possible. Someone cleared their throat beside her and her head whipped round to see Draco Malfoy standing beside her bed, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.

"Good, you're awake." Draco said huskily.

"Go find my clothes, Draco. And get some for yourself while you're there." Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"We're alone, Hermione. See, there are no other people here but us two. Not even Madam Pomfrey is here."

"Actually, while we're alone, I want to ask you something. Why the fuck did you do that in Potions?" Hermione demanded. She could feel her cheeks reddening as her anger flared.

Draco chuckled. "I thought Amortentia would be a good excuse to tell you how I felt for everyone to see. And kissing you in front of them… Merlin, it was perfect, Hermione. I felt like I didn't have to hide anymore."

"You're joking, right?"

"I am not." Draco retorted. His face softened and he gathered her up in a sweet embrace. One of Draco's long fingers coaxed Hermione's chin up so that she could meet his eyes. "I love you."

Hermione felt the impact of his words wash through her. She stared up into his beautiful grey eyes, searching desperately for something within them to tell her that he was lying. As if he could sense her uncertainty, he leant down softly and touched his lips to hers. Hermione needed no more convincing than that. Her arms wound around his neck, pinning him to her. She felt Draco's tongue part her lips, and for a moment, she thought that someone had hit her with the Jelly-Legs Jinx. They broke apart gasping, and Hermione smiled up at him, trying to convey all her thoughts and emotions in that one small smile.

"Draco, there are so many reasons why you shouldn't love me. The first, and biggest reason is that I'm a mudblood."

"Please don't call yourself that," pleaded Draco. Hermione felt a grim satisfaction fill her when she saw his pained face.

"Why shouldn't I? I'm proud of being a mudblood. But do you really think your family will approve of you being with me?"

"It's none of their business! I don't care about your _blood _Hermione. Merlin, you're smarter than most purebloods anyway. And about my parents, I think that they would be happy that I found love, no matter who I fell in love with!" Draco said angrily.

"Oh sure, they would be simply ecstatic that you fell in love with a Gryffindor mudblood." Hermione said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Hermione, I don't care what they think! I don't care what anyone thinks! I love you, why is that so hard to believe?"

"I... I just don't know." Hermione whispered. She dropped her gaze from Draco, and instead looked at the stone floor.

"Hermione, how do you feel about me?" Draco gently pushed her back to the bed so the she was sat down. She still refused to look into his eyes.

Hermione was locked in an inner battle. _How can I tell him? What if he goes back to how he was before? What if it's all a sick joke? I can't do this,_ Hermione thought to herself. A small voice in the back of her head answered all of her worries. _Why would he do that to you? This is stupid; you _know _he's telling the truth! And even if he's not, you still have your friends. Just tell him! _The voice was shouting at her now. She hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Well, I love you." Hermione said simply. She thought to herself again, _that wasn't so hard, was it? _All thought was erased from her mind in the next moment, however, as she was attacked with a flurry of kisses. Draco was hungrily kissing every inch of skin he could get access too. Suddenly, he wrestled the blanket off of her and latched onto her breast. "Shit, Draco!" Hermione gasped.

Draco was playing her body like a finely tuned Harp. He kissed and sucked and nibbled her skin, causing electric shocks to fire through her body. Finally, Hermione had had enough. She wanted Draco and she wanted him _now!_ She tore his boxers apart at the seams the next time he captured her mouth with his and was satisfied with the low moan she received when she did so. She looked down his body, and stopped when her eyes took in his manhood.

"What?" Draco asked when she had frozen. "Hermione, what's wrong?"

"Why is it so big?" She gasped, and then burst into peals of laughter. She looked down again and rolled onto her front, laughing harder than she ever had before. She glanced at Draco again, looking at his dark pink prick.

"Sorry, I didn't think it was a bad thing, to be well endowed." Draco snapped grumpily. Hermione just laughed harder, resulting in an irritated sigh from Draco.

Hermione tried to calm herself down, and managed to look at him again without laughing. "I'm sorry for laughing at you; I don't know what came over me. But seriously, you're huge; I'll get bloody split in two!" Hermione pulled a horrified face and then laughed again, but it was out of nervousness this time, instead of actual humour.

"I'll be gentle, I promise." Draco said, before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. Hermione suddenly had a wicked thought, and she could almost feel her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Well, Draco, I guess it's time."

"Huh? It's time for what, exactly, Hermione?" Draco asked. He had a seriously puzzled expression on his face.

Hermione conjured a pair of nipple clamps, with the same naughty twinkle in her eyes reflected over her entire face. She watched as Draco paled and began to splutter and make excuses. "Shut up and put the nipple clamps on me, Draco." She thrust the silver clamps into his trembling hands.

"No. No, you're joking. You can't be serious, Hermione. Don't play games."

"Who's playing games, sweetheart?" Hermione asked softly. She lay back on the bed, just staring at him.

"We don't need toys, Hermione," said Draco, vanishing them. "I can give you more than enough pleasure all on my own."

"Prove it." Hermione purred. The next second, Draco was kissing her again, and the second after that, he was inside her. She met each thrust with one of her own, gasping at the feel of Draco inside her. He was far from being gentle with her; he was pounding her into the bed. Hermione knew she'd be bruised the next morning, and she'd definitely need a healing potion. Hermione shifted from beneath Draco, crying out as he went even deeper inside of her.

"Fuck, Hermione!" Draco cried as he pounded into her. After a few more sweaty, passion filled minutes, Hermione felt Draco come inside of her. Another few seconds after that, Hermione screamed her release, Draco's name echoing off of the stone walls of the hospital wing.

They lay there for more than twenty minutes, trying to regain their composure. Hermione was snuggled up against Draco's toned body, smiling weakly as he traced patterns on her back with his forefinger. "Hermione, I meant it before. I am in love with you, and I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks."

"I know," sighed Hermione. "And for the record, I love you too." She grinned when she felt Draco kiss her forehead.

"Miss Granger!" A shrill voice echoed around the hospital wing.

"Hermione, my petal, it's time to wake up now." Draco said softly.

"You mean to tell me that all of this was a dream?"

"Yes, I'm sorry."

Hermione nodded and focussed on the voice that was calling her name. She closed her eyes after a last glance at Draco and woke up.

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><p>"Oh, good, Miss Granger, you're awake. Were you having a bad dream, dear? You were tossing and turning in the bed, and you were gasping a lot too." Madam Pomfrey said, dabbing at her forehead with a wet cloth.<p>

Hermione blushed deeply before taking a deep breath and looking up at the Healer. "Yes, I was, Madam Pomfrey. I hope I wasn't disturbing anyone."

"Oh, no dear, you didn't. Right, so you fainted in Potions?"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey. Who brought me here?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Mr Malfoy brought you. He said you fainted because he told you he loves you." Madam Pomfrey said. Her expression was unreadable.

"Oh yes, and it's not the first time either, Madam." Hermione said irritably.

"That as may be, Miss Granger, it is the first time he has said it under the influence of Amortentia. Oh yes, I know what you were brewing in class today. Honestly, Professor Slughorn shouldn't have encouraged you to test it on yourselves. Anything could have gone wrong!" Madam Pomfrey said, bustling around Hermione, who sniggered.

"Er, Madam Pomfrey, could you tell me the time, please?"

"Oh, yes. It's twenty three minutes past twelve." Pomfrey said absently. "Yes, you may go, Miss Granger. Go straight to lunch, and do not over-exert yourself today. And that means that you will not confront Draco Malfoy at any point today, Miss Granger."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey. Thank you for taking care of me. I'll be going to lunch now." Hermione said, picking up her bag and walking down to the Great Hall. Harry, Ron and Ginny were all seated at the table, picking at their sandwiches. She smiled at she sat next to Ginny, opposite the boys.

"Hermione!" All three of her closest friends exclaimed once she'd sat down. She helped herself to a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, while her friends bombarded her with questions.

"Hermione, why am I hearing that Draco told you he loved you in front of an entire class?" Ginny demanded.

"Because he did and I fainted. That's the second time now. I really ought to get payback on him, don't you think? I might write to Sirius, get his advice on how to get Draco back." Hermione replied tiredly. She looked up at her friends, all of whom were gaping at her. "What? Sometimes I like being a little mischievous."

"You never fail to surprise me, Hermione. You can take Hedwig if you like. It'll be worth it to see you prank Malfoy. Besides, I've been meaning to write to him anyways." Harry said, grinning broadly at her and tucking into a chicken salad sandwich.

Hermione watched as Ginny smiled fondly at Harry, who returned with a glittering grin that was spoiled somewhat by the bit of lettuce stuck to his front tooth. After a few minutes, everything returned to normal, and the four Gryffindors ate lunch together, discussing the events of 6th Year Potions that morning, until the bell went and lunch was over. Hermione walked with Ron and Harry to Charms class, where they were practising Banishing cushions into a drawer.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, and they came out with minimal homework for once. Both Harry and Hermione sat to write their respective letters to Sirius, and she intercepted a few astonished glances from Harry as she wrote. Chuckling, she looked over the letter again.

_Dear Sirius and Remus,  
>It's me, Hermione. How are you? It's been a while, hasn't it? I need your advice and your help, if you're willing to give it, but I need to give you a back story on it first.<em>

_I'm in a relationship with Draco Malfoy. Yes, you read it right. It was really unexpected, but somehow, it's working out. He told me he's fancied me since the Yule Ball in Fourth Year, and I've liked him for a while too. Anyways, he told me he loved me a couple of weeks ago and I… well, I fainted. I nearly fainted the second time he told me, too (but I put it down to still being pretty weak from the first time, because he told me about two minutes after I woke up again). _

_We've carried on with our relationship since then (although there were some definite problems at first) but a few nights ago, Ginny and Draco sort of shared a dream. Ginny dreamt the first part, but she woke up when she was killed. Draco sort of carried on the dream where hers had left off. And he was killed in his, too. It seems that I am the link between the two dreams. I'd go into more detail, but I'm not sure it's my place to. Dumbledore told me that he's going to research the dreams, but that it isn't a coincidence. I am definitely the link. I'm worried about it, and I was wondering, since I know Remus is there, if you two had any opinions on that? However, that isn't all I need your help with._

_Coming back to Draco, he decided that he was going to test the Amortentia we brewed together in class this morning. He did so, kissed me in front of the entire class _and _told me he loved me again. Well, I fainted for a second time. So I need your help, as the famous Marauders, to get him back for this. I mean, full on revenge. Sirius, I know for a fact that you've never really stopped your mischievous, rule-breaking ways, and I could really use your help. Remus, I know you wouldn't really approve, considering that I'm an ex-student of yours, but I need your brains as well as Sirius' brilliant prank. I must not be caught, or I might be out of the running for Head Girl next year. Please help me, you two? I'll be forever grateful._

_I'd like a reply soon, because I'm ready to carry out the perfect prank. Of course, Harry will be roped into helping me (I know he wouldn't pass up a chance of pranking Malfoy) because to be honest, I don't think I could pull it off without him._

_Thanks, you two, and I hope you are both well._

_Love,  
>Hermione Granger.<em>

_P.S: Sorry for rambling on about Draco and our odd relationship, by the way, I know it's not really something you want to hear._

Hermione smiled, sealed her letter and addressed it to Sirius, though she knew that Remus would read it too. She was one of the few who knew about their relationship; not even Harry was aware of it. She thought back to last Christmas, which everyone had spent in Grimmauld Place. She was having trouble sleeping one night, so she had walked down to the drawing room with a book, planning on reading for an hour or so. Ginny got annoyed when Hermione read in bed, because it was too bright for her to sleep, so Hermione had wandered down to the drawing room to curl up on a sofa. When she opened the door, however, she found that the sofa was occupied. By pyjama clad Remus and Sirius. Snogging. They had explained their relationship the next day when she had wandered into the drawing room again, to find them sitting and holding hands. They had expressly asked her not to tell Harry, and nearly a year later, he was still unaware.

Hermione waited for Harry to tie his letter to Hedwig's leg before tying her own there. Harry had told Hedwig that both of the letters were for Sirius, and she had flown into the night. Hermione hoped that Hedwig would come back soon, because she was itching to get revenge on Draco.

It was two days before Hedwig returned, with three letters attached to her leg. Two of them were addressed to Hermione, and the third was for Harry. Hermione had risen from Gryffindor table in the Great Hall and ran back up to the Common Room, because she had first period free anyways. She put the one labelled 'Pranks' in the pocket of her robes, before tearing open the other letter.

_Hermione,  
>It was lovely to hear from you. Sirius and I are both well, and by the sounds of it, the four of you are as well. It was very interesting to hear about your relationship with Draco Malfoy. I assume he's stopped being such an egotistical twit. Sirius' words were 'he must have stopped being an arsehole'. I wasn't sure if that was appropriate really, but Sirius insisted I tell you he said it. Oh, on the subject of relationships, before I lecture you on yours, Sirius and I are engaged! We're going to tell Harry when he comes to stay, this Christmas. <em>

_Right, so you and Draco are going out. Have you made it public yet? Because I warn you, if Hogwarts is the same as it was when we were there, you two are going to face hell when you come out. Hmm, the Amortentia incident does sound rather amusing, and might even help ease the passage of your (for want of a better word) publicity. Your Prank plans are in the other letter, by the way. I gave Sirius almost complete control, so it'll be wild. _

_I must say, Hermione, the dreams have Sirius and I concerned too. It is highly unusual for things like this to happen. However, if the situation is in Dumbledore's hands, there won't be much to worry about. Do keep us posted if the dreams carry on, though. It's likely that Poppy – sorry, Madam Pomfrey – will have given both Draco and Ginny a draught of Dreamless Sleep potion each._

_How is your school work going? You have no more need for Time-Turners, do you? I hope the Prank plans are useful, do tell us the outcome of it. Take care, and don't over-exert yourself._

_We look forward to hearing from you soon,  
>Remus and Sirius.<em>

Hermione smiled softly. She was really pleased that Remus and Sirius would be getting married. She knew that they had been a couple whilst at school, and up until the death of Harry's parents. She was glad that they had rekindled their romance after being reunited in the Shrieking Shack three years previously and Hermione wished more than anything that they had a long and happy life ahead of them. She dabbed at the wetness of her eyes and put away the letter, pulling out the Pranks letter. This would be good, she knew.

_Dear Hermione -  
>My, my, my, I never thought it would be <em>you _asking for pranking advice. It's me, Sirius, the best prankster of the Marauders (always was, and always will be). So, you're annoyed that your beloved (who is a Slytherin – we will be having words, girl!) has made you faint twice, very nearly thrice, by telling you he loves you. And you want payback. I'm not surprised, Hermione. Well, you have come to the right person._

_Hmm… I remember once, we plotted to have the entirety of Slytherin fall head over heels for Snivellus, sorry – I meant Severus. I doubt you'll want that for your boyfriend though, considering he's not a great ugly brute with hair that's never been washed. Aha! I know exactly what to do. Tell him to wait in the middle of the Great Hall at lunchtime, and hit him with the tickling jinx, make mushrooms grow out of his ears, a boil hex, ooh, and that one that makes your toenails grow uncontrollably. Just get him with as many hexes and jinxes as possible, and all under the Invisibility Cloak. You and Harry hide under that, and hit him with any and all hexes you know. It'll be guaranteed humiliation._

_Or if that doesn't take your fancy, hit him with Levicorpus (it's a non-verbal spell) and vanish all his clothes – again in the Great Hall. Or if you're feeling _really_ mischievous, do both, one after the other. Do tell me how it goes. _

_Remus tells me to tell you that those pranks are lame, but it'll be fun to watch anyways. And that he wants you to be our bridesmaid. Just kidding to that last bit, but you can make the confetti, I promise._

_Have fun pranking,  
>Padfoot.<em>

Hermione sat there for a few seconds after reading Sirius' letter and shaking her head in bemusement. She thought for a couple of seconds and then decided. Two days straight of pranking her beloved boyfriend… Hermione just couldn't wait!

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><p><strong>Sorry, I know my first prank idea is pretty lame, but I suck at humorous things. The second is an elaboration of what the Marauders did to Snape in their Fifth Year. Well, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, the next will be coming soon.<strong>

**Drop me a review, please, you should know by now that I love them.**

**Lottie.**


	20. The First Prank

**Before I continue with my usual rambling, I should tell you that I am only going to carry on to Chapter 30. So that's five more chapters for Hermione and Draco each.**

**I have decided to have the first prank in this chapter, and the second in the next. I elaborated on the first prank a little, and I hope you like the edit I made to it.**

**The customary big thank you to my reviewers, because I love you all. :)**

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><p>Draco woke up with a sense of foreboding filling him up entirely. He looked over to Blaise's bed. His friend was still asleep, by the looks of things. Draco sighed – the two boys still weren't talking, although Theo had tried to force them to. <em>What do you expect? You were an absolute arsehole towards him, <em>Draco thought to himself. He sighed again. He got out of bed and rushed to shower. He threw his robes over his head, stuffed a few books into his bag and walked out of the dorms and to the Great Hall. He wasn't surprised to be the only one there so early, but he was surprised when Hermione walked in and sat next to him on the Slytherin table.

"Hermione, what on earth are you doing?" Draco gasped. He watched as she bit her bottom lip. "What's wrong?"

"I'll be quick; I just really needed to tell you something." Hermione said. She nibbled at her lip again and took a deep breath. "I really didn't want to tell you this, especially after you made me faint in Potions the other day." Here, she narrowed her eyes at him menacingly. Draco just smirked. "But, the thing is, I love you too."

Draco just sat at the table, gobsmacked, while Hermione walked away and sat down at the Gryffindor table. He stared at her, and then rose. The hall was starting to fill, but Draco didn't care. He threw his bag back over his shoulder and strode over to the Gryffindor table at the other end of the hall. He stopped just behind Hermione, who looked up as though she'd been kicked (by the look on Ginny's face, she had) and stood up.

"Hermione," Draco said thickly. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her as softly and sweetly as he possibly could. A huge gasp rippled through the Great Hall as they kissed, and Hermione's hands snaked up to clasp behind his neck. Draco felt like his heart was beating faster than a Hummingbird's wings, and his hands slipped down from her face to wrap around her waist.

Hermione broke their kiss, smiling, and said, "You sure you're not under the influence of Amortentia?"

"You wish I was." Draco murmured back. He kissed her again and rested his forehead against hers.

"No, I quite like you like this. Guess there's no point trying to hide it anymore," sighed Hermione.

"Oh, yeah, I didn't think of that. I just needed you." Draco said quietly, smiling at her again. A throat cleared behind them. Ginny had moved to stand between Harry and Ron.

"It's lovely that you two have come out to the public, so publically and all, but some people are trying to eat their breakfast." Ginny said, winking at them. Draco smiled, kissed Hermione's forehead, and walked back over to Slytherin table. He sat down next to Theo, who clapped him on the back, but the rest of his house-mates avoided him like the plague.

When the Hall was full of students, he stood up and started to walk out. He looked round at Hermione, who flashed him a naughty grin and took a swig of pumpkin juice. Then he felt himself being hoisted in the air by his ankle. His bag dropped to the floor, splitting upon impact. He rolled his eyes and looked at Hermione again. She looked livid, and she hissed something, looking in the empty space next to her. Draco raised his eyebrows at her, trying to ignore the laughter that had erupted in the Hall. She walked over to him and raised her wand muttering a spell under her breath. A dozen fluffy cushions appeared beneath him. In the next second, he lay sprawled out on them, feeling light-headed.

"Are you okay?" Hermione whispered. She was sat next to his head and repairing his bag.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Who jinxed me? Is anything broken in my bag?"

Hermione nodded. "You lost your red ink pot. Your black one survived."

Draco sat up slowly, watching the room spin. "Okay. Who jinxed me?" Draco stood when he felt like he wasn't going to pass out and looked around the room. The Hall was empty apart from him, Hermione and Professor Dumbledore. He looked at Hermione and narrowed his eyes.

"Well, you must understand that it was on my orders. I was going to prank you this morning, as payback for kissing me and making me faint in Potions the other day. You know how you were just hanging by your ankle? Well, I was going to Vanish all of your clothes while you were up there." Hermione said, looking anywhere but at him. Draco knew what was coming.

"Potter." Draco said venomously, and hatred welled up inside him faster than a house-elf could disapparate.

"Draco, don't you dare. It's my fault he did it. I told him to. I mean, that was before you defied every unwritten rule in the history of Hogwarts and kissed me in front of everyone, but it was still my fault. If you go after him, I will hit you with every hex I know." Hermione said angrily. Her hair fell back from her face as she stared up at him.

"Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger, you are both excused from your first lesson today." Professor Dumbledore said quietly. Draco jumped; he'd forgotten that the Headmaster was there and as a result, his fury ad hatred left him.

"May I ask why, Professor?" Hermione asked from beside him. Draco linked his fingers with Hermione's and she looked up at him, giving him a small smile before turning her attention back to the Headmaster.

"Because you both need a free period. And Hermione, you shouldn't always listen to Padfoot, but should you choose to follow his advice, let me know, so that I can erase the memories of those who saw it." Dumbledore said, chuckling softly. Hermione blushed in return, and Dumbledore left them alone.

"What is Padfoot? And what on Earth is our dear Headmaster talking about?" Draco said, pulling Hermione into a hug.

"Well, I can't answer the first question, because I'm sworn to secrecy. But the second, well that was only one of two Pranks, but I think I'll be well within my rights to still pull them on you."

"Is that so?" Draco replied, with an amused expression on his face. He looked down at her and she nodded. "Come on, we're going to the Room of Requirement."

Hermione took his hand and they walked up to the Seventh Floor corridor together. Draco couldn't stop looking at her, and the way her curls bounced slightly as she moved, and how easily her slender fingers combed her hair away from her face. For a second, Draco wondered what his mother would say if he saw him like this, and then in the next second, he realised he couldn't have cared less. He let Hermione define the way the Room would look upon entrance, and wasn't at all surprised to see a library, full of squashy sofa's and large armchairs, and there was a large fire burning away in the only wall that wasn't full of books.

"This is where I come if I want to study when Madam Pince has shut the library. It normally has a couple of tables, too. And in a box, there is… ah, there, drinking chocolate. I simply cast Aguamenti into the kettle by the fire, wait for it to boil, and then add a spoonful or two of the chocolate powder, and I have a lovely hot drink to settle down with." Hermione said. She looked so proud when she told him, and Draco felt his chest swell with pride for his girlfriend.

"Tomorrow," said Draco firmly. He chuckled when he saw the expression of complete confusion on her face. She almost looked as though she'd had the Confundus Charm placed upon her.

"I'm sorry?" Hermione replied. Draco smiled at her and took her face in his hands once again.

"Tomorrow, I give you full permission to carry out the Prank you were going to perform today. You'll want to tell Dumbledore first, though." Draco said calmly. Hermione opened her mouth, her pink lips forming a little O before she closed it again. She frowned, and Draco kissed the little crease between her brows softly.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked. Draco nodded firmly. He was surprisingly excited about being exposed in front of the entire school. "Right, well, I'll call Dobby. He'll be excited to deliver the news. Dobby!"

A huge crack echoed around Hermione's library, and the small house-elf appeared in front of her. Draco smiled down at the house-elf kindly, who beamed in return. "Yes, Miss Hermione? You called me?"

"Yes, Dobby, I'd appreciate it if you could tell Professor Dumbledore that we'll need the memory charms for tomorrow morning. Inform him that I_ will_ be following Padfoot's advice and that Draco has consented."

"Yes, Miss Hermione. Thank you." Dobby said in his squeaky voice. The house-elf nodded, bowed deeply and disapparated with another loud crack. Draco turned to Hermione and smirked.

"We'll see who's laughing tomorrow, my petal." Draco said solemnly. Hermione just shook her head in amusement, silently contradicting him. Draco picked Hermione up and settled her on the sofa closest to the fire, lying between her legs and snogging her to within an inch of her life. Hermione whimpered and gasped, sending Draco's blood straight to his penis. He thrust against her, smirking when she moaned at the contact.

"Get your clothes off, now!" Hermione demanded.

Draco knew it was coming, however, and chose (much against his better judgement) to leap from her, wink, and make his way down to the Fourth Floor for Charms with the Ravenclaws. He heard her furious shriek behind him as he shut the door and he burst out laughing as he walked down the stairs. The staircases chose that moment to change, and he found himself at the complete opposite end of the Fourth Floor than he wanted. He had to walk the long way round, because there was a wall blocking the way to the Charms classroom from the landing he'd left the stairs of.

As Draco walked along the cold corridor, he pondered his relationship with Hermione, and he realised with a lurch in his stomach that he had just made things much worse for himself when it came to the prank she had planned for him. _Oh fuck_, he thought, _she's going to absolutely fucking destroy me_.

"Mr Malfoy, you're early! Come inside, dear boy, you can help me set up for today's lesson!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed excitedly. His voice was even higher than it normally was, and Draco found himself gritting his teeth as he followed the tiny man inside.

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><p>The next day, Draco ate his breakfast slowly, waiting again until the Great Hall was completely full before walking around to stand in the centre of the Hall, between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. He nodded politely to Professor Dumbledore and put his bag down on the floor gently. A wave of whispers flowed through the Hall, as every student stared at Draco. He looked around, and knew that though he couldn't see Hermione, she was there and she was plotting something even worse than just exposing him in his birthday suit to the entire school.<p>

Almost as if on cue, Draco felt himself being hoisted up into the air by his left ankle. A few students laughed, but they had already seen it the day before. What they weren't expecting was exactly what Draco prepared himself for next. Icy air pressed against every inch of his skin, and he looked down (up?) to see that he was, indeed, in the altogether. And then, although they were inside a warm room and it was late, sunny October, a number of bewitched snowballs were pelting him _everywhere_. His skin burned where the ice touched it. He was only vaguely aware of students bursting into peals of delighted laughter as more and more snowballs attacked his naked body. He was then let down, though snowballs were still hitting him everywhere they could.

Draco hit the ground running. He sprinted as fast as he could away from the enchanted ice, leaping over tables and around and around and around the Great Hall. The entire school was laughing hysterically, none more so than the Gryffindors. When he dared take a glance, he saw Gryffindors clinging to one another, literally crying with laughter.

When he ran past Dumbledore, he heard McGonagall mutter, "This is a prank worthy of the Marauders". Much to Draco's surprise, she said it almost fondly. He ignored it though, because a terrible stitch had seared through his side, and the bewitched snowballs were still attacking him. Suddenly, they stopped hitting him, and Draco paused, doubled over and panting.

"Well done, Mr Malfoy, and thank you for this morning's entertainment!" Dumbledore boomed jovially. "Now, if you would all please go to your lessons? There is nothing more to see here, literally."

Several students were grumbling as they left the Great Hall, and Draco took advantage of the students leaving to conjure himself some robes and cover himself up. He was still panting heavily, and he clutched at his ribs, where the snowballs had pelted him unrelentingly. He saw Hermione pause by the huge double doors of the Great Hall and smirk naughtily at him. It was more than just a smile; it promised that it wasn't the end to his humiliation. Draco wondered when Hermione had gotten so sly and sadistic, but he found that he rather liked the new her. He turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Mr Malfoy, who wants to humiliate you so much?" Professor McGonagall asked softly. Before Draco could answer her, Professor Dumbledore chuckled.

"But, Minerva, you already know the answer to that. Didn't you just tell me that it was a prank worthy of the Marauders?"

McGonagall's jaw dropped open. "Surely you're joking, Albus! But surely Moony wouldn't have anything to do with this?"

"Minerva, my dear, do you really think that even Moony would be able to hold off Padfoot when it comes to pranking? Padfoot has hardly changed since his school days, and not even Moony can halt his creativity." Dumbledore said serenely.

Draco cleared his throat uncertainly. "Erm, Professors? Who are Moony and Padfoot? And what do they have to do with the prank Hermione just pulled on me?" He stood up to find some of his robes on the floor before him. The two Professors averted their eyes while Draco put on some boxers, and threw the robes over his head. And then McGonagall rounded on him.

"What do you mean? Are you seriously trying to tell me, Mr Malfoy, that Hermione Granger played this prank on you? She's in line to be Head Girl next year!" McGonagall shrieked.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Yes she did, and with the aid of Padfoot, Minerva. I daresay he only gave her a basic idea, and she elaborated the prank, out of revenge. After all, she seemed rather irritated that Draco had made her faint twice, without the use of magic."

Professor McGonagall shook her head, and stalked out of the Great Hall. Dumbledore winked at Draco, and ushered him off to his dormitory in order to change into proper robes. He limped out of the Hall, wondering what sick prank Hermione had for him next.

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><p><strong>You like? I have tried to make it humorous, but it may have failed. Anyways, drop me a review inclluding some challenge phrases, because I love them. :)<strong>

**Lottie.**


	21. Prank Number Two

**In this Chapter, we see a seriously pissed off Hermione, I warn you now. To my lovely reviewers, thank you. I'm glad you thought Prank #1 was good, but to be honest, Prank #2 is nowhere in its league. I'm thinking that it'll be half term in the next Hermione chapter, but there will be a lot of angry and upset Draco in the next chapter.**

**Anyways, enjoy.**

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><p><em>Dear Moony and Padfoot,<em>

_I'm writing to you by your Marauder nicknames, because I carried out Prank #1. I hit Draco with the Levicorpus jinx and Vanished all of his clothes. So after that, (and I think, Padfoot, you may be rather proud of me for doing so) I let him down, whilst he was still naked and conjured a load of snowballs, which I bewitched to repeatedly hit him, and then reform to hit him again. It was brilliant breakfast entertainment, watching him run from the snowballs as fast as he could, all while he was in his 'birthday suit'. It was priceless. _

_Merlin, that reminds me, while I was under the Cloak, I heard McGonagall telling Dumbledore that the prank was "worthy of the marauders". See, she was proud of your schoolboy antics! Prank #2 comes into action tomorrow, I think. I'll send you an owl letting you know how it went._

_Have you any plans for the wedding yet? I'd love to hear them. Actually, because I'm a prefect, I've got permission to leave the school during half-term and I was wondering if I could come and stay with you two? It'd be really nice to see you both again, and I would love to take full advantage of your library, Remus, if I could?_

_Anyways, I hope, as the Marauders, you approve of the prank I pulled. I must say thanks to Padfoot for even giving me the idea, I just exaggerated it. Hopefully, I'll hear from you two soon._

_Love  
>Hermione.<em>

Hermione tied the parchment to Hedwig's leg and sent her off to Remus and Sirius. She looked down at the books on the little wooden desk in the corner of her personal library. The book she was currently looking at listed a number of jinxes, hexes and curses that would come in handy were you planning to severely humiliate your opponent. Prank 2 was being planned, and it had her more excited than a five-year-old at Christmas. She looked at her watch, and discovered she was out past curfew again, so she ran as fast as she could back to the dormitory and into her bed.

The next morning, Hermione woke up to a tapping on the window by her bed. Hedwig was perched on the windowsill, impatiently tapping the window with her beak. She wrenched the window open, and the snowy owl perched on her bedside table, sticking out her leg. Hermione untied the parchment and Hedwig flew back out of the window again. She looked at the parchment, recognising Remus' cramped handwriting.

_Hermione,  
>The prank sounds like a work of genius, and we are both very impressed with your creativity. I personally really wish I could be there, and Sirius says (looking rather grumpy, might I add) that he wishes he'd thought of that while we were at school. I reckon he's annoyed that your prank was a lot better than his idea originally was, but I know he's proud of you for elaborating it like that.<em>

_As for staying during half-term, we'd be delighted to have you here. I assume that Harry and Ron will stay at Hogwarts? I seem to remember that only Prefects were allowed home during the half-term holidays, and it annoyed the others no end. So in between reading and doing your holiday homework, we can talk about the wedding. Tell Dumbledore you're coming here for the holidays, and we'll arrange the rest. Good luck for Prank 2. _

_All our love,  
>Remus (and Sirius)<em>

Hermione grinned and got in the shower. She dried her hair with her wand, taming it with a spell she had learnt the previous year from a book she'd found in the Room of Requirement. She was still smiling as she dressed. She walked down to the Great Hall, walking straight up to the Head table instead of sitting with her fellow Gryffindors. Professor Dumbledore smiled at her enquiringly.

"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore. I would like to ask you a question, if that's okay?" Hermione said, smiling back at the old man.

"Good morning Miss Granger. Well, you've already asked me a question, but yes, you may ask another," said Dumbledore, chuckling. Hermione shook her head bemusedly. _That joke was almost as bad as the serious/Sirius one_, Hermione thought.

"I was wondering… Would it be okay for me to go and stay with Moony and Padfoot during the half-term holiday? I wanted to peruse Moony's private library."

"And discuss their wedding plans? Ah, yes, I know all about it. Besides me and Professor McGonagall, you are the only one who knows about their engagement. Only a very few others knew about their actual relationship, though I understand that was a rather amusing story." Professor Dumbledore said quietly. Hermione's eyes flickered to Professor McGonagall, who frowned at her. She gulped.

"Actually, no Professor, that certainly was not amusing in the slightest. I couldn't look them in the eyes for days. And I never felt quite comfortable sitting on the sofa in the drawing room, either." Hermione blurted, covering her mouth and blushing furiously after speaking.

Professor Dumbledore started laughing delightedly. "Ah, I suspect that would be Sirius' doing. I understand he rather embarrassed Remus while they were at school with his uncontrollable public displays of affection. Hmm, where were we before talking about Remus and Sirius' wonderful news… Ah, yes, you may go and stay with them."

"Thank you, sir! Much appreciated. Will you want to let them know, or shall I?"

"Oh, I'll do it, Miss Granger. I have wanted to speak to Remus for a while. I'll set up the Floo Network for you so that you can leave from my office."

"Brilliant, sir, thank you so much!" Hermione smiled, genuinely excited to see her friend again. Because no matter whether Remus was nearly twenty years older than her, or the fact that he was her Professor back in Third Year, Remus Lupin was one of Hermione's best friends. He was the only person that she could talk about books with, and he wouldn't get bored. They were both perfectly comfortable sitting in silence together, and they did that rather often, when they weren't talking about new potions, or theories, or new laws regarding Werewolves. Remus had also helped Hermione with a lot of her problems over the past three years.

"Not at all, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore, interrupting Hermione's thoughts. "Oh, and I should tell you, Professor McGonagall is disappointed in you for the prank you pulled yesterday, but you are still very much in the running for Head Girl-ship. It's good to release control sometimes, Miss Granger, and despite the… delicate nature of the prank, it was rather amusing. You may go and eat now."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione said. As she sat down at Gryffindor table, she was still thinking about Remus. She knew that their friendship blossomed from the crush she'd had on him whilst he was her teacher. She'd constantly be in the Defence classroom, discussing essays or new topics. They would often have conversations on the way to classes from breakfast, or lunch. It was in the summer before her Fifth Year that they had truly become friends, discussing the latest paper in Transfiguration Today. He had challenged her opinions, and they had a full debate at the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place, capturing the attentions of the entire table before everyone realised that they weren't discussing anything interesting at all.

"Hermione!" Harry yelled in her ear. Hermione jumped violently, hitting her knee very hard on the underside of the table.

"Fuck! What were you saying, Harry?" Hermione asked, gritting her teeth as she rubbed her knee. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and retrieved a Charms book from her bag.

"I was asking if you're going to see your parents during half-term. I know you normally go, but if you weren't going to go this time, Hogsmeade is officially open for Sixth and Seventh Years for the entire holiday and we plan to make the most of it." Harry said excitedly. Ron nodded in agreement, his mouth full of sausage.

"_You_ can." Ginny grumbled. Hermione shot her a sympathetic glance, which was returned with a small smile.

"Actually, no, I'm not going home, or staying here. I'm going to Grimmauld Place." Hermione said. Her three friends fell silent.

"What? You're going to see _my_ godfather?" Harry asked quietly.

"Hey, don't get so possessive. You spent all summer there, _and_ you're going to stay with them for Christmas. I'm going because I want to see _Remus_. He's one of my closest friends and I haven't seen him since last Christmas. Plus, I want to take full advantage of his library and I'm itching to talk to him about the newest paper in Transfiguration Today. None of you want to talk about any of that stuff. Remus is the only person that likes talking about books, or new laws, or anything like that. Besides, I need to thank Sirius anyways. He's the reason Draco was running around the Great Hall naked yesterday, getting pelted by snowballs." Hermione said. She turned back to her breakfast and her Charms book, ignoring the silence that persisted between her and her friends.

"Hermione, do you have a crush on Lupin?" Ginny asked, without looking at her.

Hermione burst into peals of laughter, attracting the attention of the entire Gryffindor table. They didn't often hear Hermione laugh like that. "Are you mental? Of course I don't! He's one of my best friends. I feel for him how I do for Harry and Ron." Hermione was still laughing, and Ginny visibly relaxed, as did Harry and Ron.

"Sorry I reacted like that, Hermione. It's just that we barely see you anymore. You're always studying, and if you're not doing that, you're with Draco. Not to mention the fact that I really miss Sirius." Harry whispered to her. Hermione patted his arm gently.

"It's fine. You'll see him soon enough anyways; Christmas is only a month and a half away. Do you have your Cloak, Harry? I've just seen Draco come in, and I want to leave before McGonagall suspects me of another prank. I'm still going to do it, but I don't want her to pin it on me, which she won't if she sees me leaving." Hermione winked at Harry, who grinned back at her.

"Sure. I can't wait to see what you do to him next." Harry passed her the silver Cloak, which she stowed in her robes before anyone could see. She finished her cereal and waved to all of her friends, telling them loudly that she'd see them in Charms, which was their first class of the day. She strode out of the Great Hall, and she thought she could almost feel McGonagall's gaze on her back. She noticed as she walked that no one seemed to remember the prank she had pulled yesterday, except herself, her friends and presumably, Draco.

Once she had climbed up to the second floor, she hid behind a suit of armour and put on the Cloak. She ran back down to the Great Hall to see that it was mostly full, and that Draco was still there. _I think it's time to put my plan into action_, Hermione thought.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_," whispered Hermione. She was standing in the middle of the Great Hall and within seconds, Draco was levitating over Hufflepuff table to land just in front of her. He looked confused, and Hermione smiled. "Sorry," she whispered, and he jumped.  
>"<em>Colloshoo<em>," Draco's shoes stuck to the ground.  
>"<em>Tarantallegra<em>," Draco started dancing, awkwardly, because his shoes were still stuck to the floor. Hermione muttered the counter curse to stop him dancing, and he looked relieved.  
>"<em>Rictusempra<em>," Draco was crying with laughter, wriggling to try and stop the tickling sensation. Hermione cast the jelly-legs jinx, which made him wobble like jelly while he was still wriggling against the tickling jinx.  
>"<em>Steleus<em>," Hermione whispered, and Draco started sneezing furiously, whilst still wobbling, causing his legs to bend horribly every time he sneezed.  
>"<em>Anteoculatia<em>," She whispered, and then hit him with the Leek jinx, so while his hair turned into large white-blonde antlers, his ears were also growing large, green leeks.  
>"<em>Densaugio<em>," Hermione whispered. Draco's teeth started to grow, and Hermione felt a surge of smug delight fill her. So this was what it was like to watch. She'd never truly forgiven Draco for making her teeth grow uncontrollably, although she had let Madam Pomfrey shrink them so that they were completely even, and she wasn't really defying her parents if she claimed to forget to tell Madam Pomfrey before it was too late.

Hermione had taken a step back to admire her handiwork. Draco had huge white antlers on his head instead of hair, and the colour contrasted with the huge leeks growing from his ears. He was still sneezing and his legs bent absurdly, causing a ripple to roll through his body, thanks to the jelly-legs jinx. Between every sneeze, he was laughing weakly, thanks to the tickling jinx, which was starting to wear off before her eyes. But Draco's teeth were still growing. She countered the jinx that stuck his shoes to the floor, and the jelly-legs jinx, and he sprinted as fast as he could towards the hospital wing.

Hermione frowned. Although the entire Great Hall was laughing as hard as Draco under the tickling jinx, she felt unsatisfied. The prank she had just played on Draco was nothing next to the one she had performed yesterday. _Why does it always sound so much better inside my head? _Hermione wondered bitterly. She walked to Charms, and while the corridor was empty, she took off the Cloak, folded it and put it in her bag, ready to give back to Harry. Hermione stopped outside, pretending to close the book she had in her hand, and was just putting it back in her bag when Professor McGonagall stopped beside her.

"Oh, good morning Professor," Hermione said glumly. McGonagall narrowed her eyes at her.

"Miss Granger. Are you responsible for what happened to Draco Malfoy this morning?" McGonagall wasted no time, did she?

Hermione sighed. _It was an epic fail, anyways_, she thought. "Yes, Professor, it was me."

"I expected it really, Miss Granger. It wasn't until you casted the tooth-growing jinx that I knew it was you. I remember when Malfoy hit you with it; I assumed you would want payback eventually." Professor McGonagall sighed.

"Are you going to give me detention?"

"No. It was rather funny, to be honest. However, it wasn't as funny as when James Potter and Sirius Black cast almost exactly the same sequence of spells on Sev- on a student, in their Fourth Year. Do have fun at Grimmauld Place in the holidays, Hermione." McGonagall patted her arm and wandered off, back in the direction of the stairs.

Hermione felt glum for the rest of the day, and she decided after Defence, which was her last lesson, that she would skip dinner and go down to the kitchen instead. Twenty minutes later, she was sat at the small table with a huge slice of chocolate cheesecake in front of her. As she ate, she thought about Remus and Sirius' engagement. It had taken them long enough; after all, they were together when they were at school. She smiled as she thought about their wedding, and Harry's reaction to the news.

"Hi, Hermione, nice prank earlier. Though I don't believe it wasn't as good as yesterdays." Draco said nonchalantly.

"Draco! Oh Merlin, you scared me. I see your teeth are returned to normal. I've wanted to get you back for that for years." Hermione smiled warmly, and indicated the seat opposite her.

Draco sat down and smiled at her. "Yeah, and the antlers are gone too, though they were actually kind of cool. You mind if I have some of that?" Draco pointed to Hermione's dessert, and she nodded at him. He conjured a silver spoon and dug in.

"So, what are your plans for half-term?" Hermione asked. Draco swallowed a mouthful of cheesecake before answering her. Hermione grinned at the smear of chocolate at the corner of his mouth and was going to tell him, before deciding she'd just let it be.

"I was _going_ to stay here and spend as long as I could with you. What are you doing?"

Hermione felt her gut drop. "I'm going to stay at my friend's house. I haven't seen him since last Christmas, and I really wanted to go."

"Oh. Who is it? Are you going to stay with a muggle friend? Or is it someone who has already left Hogwarts? I can't imagine you doing your holiday homework in front of muggles who don't know about magic." Draco said venomously. Hermione recognised why he was acting how he was. Jealousy was radiating off of him.

"It's really none of your business, but your second guess is correct." Hermione said tiredly.

"Have you got history with him?"

Hermione felt her temper flare up. She pushed the rest of the pudding towards him, standing up so fast that her chair fell over. "No, I don't. Not that it would be any of your business even if I did have history with him."

"So who is it if you don't have history with him?"

"It's Remus _fucking _Lupin!" Hermione exploded. Then she realised what she said. "I'm going there to _study!_ I need help with Defence and he's one of our old teachers! It's not like I can go to _Snape_ for help, is it? Remus is the best teacher we ever had for Defence! An ex teacher, Draco, of course I have no history with him. That's not even mentioning the fact that he's engaged to be married. But like I said, it's _none of your business_."

"So you're going to stay with a werewolf!" Draco sneered.

Hermione gave her boyfriend a withering look. "And there I thought that you had changed. When you're ready to be mature and you deflate your ego a bit, we can talk. However, I have nothing else to say to you if you're going to go back to being a childish wanker. Fuck you, Draco."

Hermione stalked out of the kitchens, ignoring the little house-elves that clung to her robes, desperate to get her something else. She felt her eyes prickle with tears, and she rubbed her eyes angrily.

"How could he be such a dick?" Hermione muttered venomously, "I can't believe he'd think I had something going with _Remus!_ I swear to God, if Draco carries this on, I'll kill him."

Hermione carried on grumbling to herself all the way back to Gryffindor tower, where she stormed to bed, ignoring all of her friends. She could feel bad about it in the morning, but for now, she was just too pissed off.

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><p><strong>So, what did you think? I tried to make up for the crappy prank with a good old argument. Will Draco deflate his head, do you think? We'll just have to wait and see, huh?<strong>

**Feel free to review.**

**Lottie.**


	22. More Gryffindor than Slytherin

**Sorry for the crappy prank in the last chapter. I was really off form, and it honestly sounded a lot better in my head than on paper (or Microsoft Word). Thanks for the good reviews anyways, I really appreciate it, and I promise that I'll never try to make up pranks again.**

**I hope this chapter is a bit better, anyway. **

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><p>Draco watched Hermione storm out of the kitchens, swatting away the house-elves irritably. The only thought running through his head was '<em>what have I done?' <em>However, he couldn't stop the feeling of anger surge through him. It was more than anger though, it was jealousy. But he was confused because Remus Lupin was twenty years older than Hermione, and had a lot more sense than to try that with her. It was seriously frowned upon in the Wizarding world. _So why are you jealous?_ Draco thought to himself, _just because you wanted her to stay and spend all of half-term with you_. He shook himself and walked out of the kitchens, thanking the elves absently as he walked.

He collapsed into his bed when he got inside the dorms, ignoring Theo's muttered greeting. He peeked over at Blaise's bed. The curtains were open, but he wasn't there. Draco sat up again, wondering where his friend was. He leapt out of the bed and out of the dormitory. He crept back up to the Common Room and saw Blaise sat on the sofa, reading a textbook. He sat down next to his friend cautiously, who showed no sign that anyone had sat next to him at all. Draco sat there for an hour until Blaise snapped his book shut, finally turning to glare at him.

"What do you want?" Blaise growled.

"I want my friend back. Blaise, I'm sorry if I hit a nerve, but to be honest, you know I'm right. If you wanted to keep her, you should have made her yours." Draco said quietly, but with a strong intensity.

"And this is supposed to be some beautiful, heart-wrenching apology?" Blaise snorted. He gave Draco a withering glare.

"No, it's not. I'm here for you, Blaise, always. I'm here as long as you want me to be, and I'll still be here if you don't." Draco grinned at Blaise, receiving no such smile in return.

"So you've proved." Blaise sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, truce it is."

"Good. Now, I think it's high time you got over the She-Weasel, Blaise. It's not doing you any good to mope." Draco said triumphantly. It made his stomach knot when he deliberately insulted Ginny, but he did it anyway, knowing it would help Blaise.

"Do you know something?" He said, almost frighteningly calmly.

"I know a lot of things, my friend. Is there anything in particular I should know?"

"Oh ha bloody ha. I feel empty, Drake. That's wrong. She's a _Gryffindor_, and a blood traitor to boot. So why do I feel like I've lost the greatest thing in my life?" Tears actually formed in Blaise Zabini's eyes, and Draco froze in shock, until Blaise turned to stare at him, waiting for an answer. Draco shook himself.

"You feel like that, because you have." Draco said simply. "It's the first time you've ever loved anyone isn't it? She made you happy, and now you don't have her."

"Yes, but why? She told me all about the dream, but it doesn't make sense!"

"Dumbledore will tell us when he knows. We just… we need to just be patient. Dumbledore may be an old fool, but he has contacts that even my father would be jealous of. He'll figure it out, and then you'll understand. We all will."

Blaise snorted again. "Oh sure. Meanwhile, I have to just sit and watch while she runs into the arms of Saint Potter!" He snorted again, and then shrugged out from beneath Draco's arm, going to the nearest table and throwing the Onyx serpent across to the other wall, where it broke into seven pieces.

He sat there for nearly three hours, watching as Blaise proceeded to destroy precious ornaments in the Common Room. Soon enough, there was no ornament in the Common Room that had remained unbroken, and Blaise had even started on some of the furniture before he finally collapsed, releasing all of his pain and fury. Draco set him down on one of the sofas, trying not to jostle him too much. Then Draco began to repair all of the ornaments and tables and chairs in the room. When he thought that he was finished, it was nearly 6am.

"Merlin's beard, I've been up all night. Thanks, Blaise. Thanks _very_ much." Draco muttered bitterly. He stopped at a crystal goblet that lay shattered into a hundred pieces and stared at it for a minute. The splinters captivated him, though Draco couldn't say why. Perhaps it was the fact that they glittered in the dim green light, or the fact that each shard was broken in a different way, no two shards were identical. Either way, it was like he'd been enchanted by the crystal. He shook himself, and drew his wand a final time. "_Reparo_," he whispered, walking away when the pieces were a goblet once more.

Draco walked back down to his dormitory, ignoring Blaise's sleeping form on the sofa. He threw himself into the shower, washing and dressing as fast as he could. He looked in the cabinet in the bathroom and found a small vial of Pepper-Up Potion, and he downed the bottle in one. Draco looked at his reflection in the mirror, and paused when he saw a shimmer of pale gold along his jaw. _Damn it, I need to shave,_ Draco thought irritably. He drew his wand, focussing entirely on the hair on his jawline. He swished his wand, running it along his left cheek, and then across to his right. He leaned back, peering at his reflection again, delighted to see that his skin was completely smooth once more. He bound back into the dormitory, slipping on his shoes. He checked his watch, and was surprised to see that it was already 7am.

"Draco, stop being so bloody cheerful, it's too early!" Theo mumbled from behind the curtains on his bed.

"Sorry, Theo. I've been up all night and I've just downed a vial of Pepper-Up. Of course I'm cheerful." Draco said quietly. He heard a snort from Theo's bed before he walked out, grinning. He walked through the Common Room again, making sure that he hadn't missed anything when he had repaired all of the ornaments and furniture in the room. When he was satisfied, he walked out through the concealed door of the dormitory, not glancing back at his sleeping friend on the sofa.

He ascended the stairs to the entrance hall and walked into the Great Hall, looking over at Gryffindor Table. Hermione sat alone, picking at a bowl of cereal. Draco walked over and sat next to her at the ancient mahogany table.

"Hermione, I'm sorry."

"You say that a lot." Hermione said stiffly. Draco smiled at her sadly.

"Yeah, I do. But I mean it every time. I'm sorry for snapping like that and getting jealous. I had no right to act like that. Like you said, you're only going there to study. And of course, you were right; I really did need to deflate my ego. And, well, it's deflated. I spent all night clearing up after Blaise, and I must say it did a brilliant deflating job." Draco chuckled half-heartedly.

"What are you talking about, Draco?" Hermione asked wearily.

"We finally made up. He got pissed off about Ginny running to Harry, but I keep reminding him it's his own fault. You know, because he didn't bother making things official between them or anything. So then he started smashing up everything in the Common Room. When he fell asleep, I had to fix it all. I haven't slept all night. I'm running on Pepper-Up at the moment." Draco finished, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, okay. So we were talking about your deflated ego. Does this mean that you won't get pissed off with me for going to Remus' for the week?"

"Hermione, I have no right to. But no, I won't. If you need to study, then you need to study. And even I have to admit that I wouldn't want to go to Snape, and he's the head of my House."

Hermione smiled reluctantly at him. "Okay. I forgive you and all, but don't think I'm going to forget this anytime soon. I leave on Thursday."

"But the holiday doesn't start until Friday." Draco said. He felt his eyebrows furrow as he stared at Hermione.

"I know that, but I'm leaving on Thursday. You can walk me to Dumbledore's office if you want. I leave at 6pm, so you can come with." Hermione said quietly. She placed a small hand on Draco's, and he felt like his head was filled with wrackspurts.

"I'd love to. Are there any extra books you need? I've got loads in my trunk. I had to put an undetectable extension charm on it, _and_ a lightening charm. Mum insisted that I loaded myself up with books because she wants me to get the top marks for once. She has no idea how silly that idea is."

"Why? You get full marks anyways."

Draco laughed. "Yeah, but I remember that time in Fourth Year when you got 186% in Charms. Mum was furious when she heard."

"I see," smiled Hermione enigmatically. "Is your mum jealous?"

"Of course n- yeah, she is." Draco laughed again. He felt his heart soar when Hermione grinned at him. He extended a hand and stroked her cheek gently, and then hooked it around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. He smiled slightly as they kissed, and Hermione flung her arms around his neck.

"Hi, guys, we'd really like to eat, if that's okay." Ginny said from across the table. Draco broke the kiss and smiled at Ginny, though it faltered for a moment when he realised she was holding hands with Potter. Draco instead helped himself to a sausage.

"Oi, you've got your own sausages at Slytherin table, leave ours alone!" Harry said indignantly.

"Yeah, I agree with Harry. Get your own." Ron chimed in from the other side of Hermione.

"Well, morning, Gryffindors. I'm taking this sausage, but I'll go finish my breakfast with my House if that makes you lot happy." Draco said, winking at Hermione. A sound of unconvincing protest went around the small group, and he just smiled at them and stood up. Draco bent to kiss Hermione quickly again and walked back to Slytherin table.

As he sat down, he heard Crabbe hiss something. He turned towards him and both Crabbe and Goyle stared at him with their wands drawn and pointed at his face. "You're a blood traitor and a Mudblood lover. Just wait until your father hears about this." Goyle said venomously.

"I don't care what he or my mother has to say. Nor do I care what you have to say. Are there any other problems?" Draco said sarcastically, pulling his own wand out.

"None other than that, you filthy blood traitor." Crabbe injected. Draco rolled his eyes and raised his wand higher.

"Sorry, you two, if you're feeling a little left out. But honestly, who in their right minds would want to go out with you?" Draco retorted.

"What about you, Malfoy? You've got to resort to a mudblood for company? When you had Parkinson fawning over you all those years?"

"Maybe I want someone with both brains _and_ beauty instead of a pug-faced, snooty bitch." Draco snarled. He heard shocked whispers ripple down the table as everyone repeated what he'd said. He stood up abruptly and made to walk out of the Great Hall. He stole a glance over to Gryffindor table and noticed that the seat next to Hermione was still empty, so he walked back over towards her and sat himself down in it.

"Er, Draco, this is Gryffindor table. Slytherin's over there." Harry said, pointing back over his shoulder. Draco looked up at him wearily and poured himself a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"I know, Harry. I want to sit here. Every one of those Slytherin gits except Blaise and Theo are all hung up on pure-blood mania. Crabbe and Goyle just drew their wands at me because I'm going out with Hermione. It's as if you never took Voldemort down." Draco rolled his eyes again.

"Shit, what did you do?" Ginny said, dishing him up a plate of bacon and eggs.

"Thanks, Ginny. Well they asked why I was with Hermione when Parkinson's been flitting around all of this time. I told them that I wanted beauty and brains, not a pug-faced, snooty bitch. And then I came over here. It wasn't anything that big and bad actually, though they did threaten to tell my father."

Hermione went white, and she clutched his hand. "But he'll go mad when he finds out, Draco. I'm not worth the fury your family will unleash upon you."

"Hermione you are worth all of it and more. Besides, they won't do anything that bad to me. I'm their only heir, and I think they're a bit past having another kid to be honest. Don't worry about me, petal, I'm fine. I always will be." Draco said, pecking her on the cheek. He tucked into the bacon, nodding gratefully at Ginny. Harry even grinned at him, to both their surprise.

"So, now what are you going to do? Aren't they all going to shun you?" Ron asked slowly.

"Probably, but we only have two years left. I think I can handle it, and them." Draco replied quietly.

"We're here to back you up, no matter how bad they get." Harry said. Draco's head snapped up in shock when Ron, Ginny and Hermione chimed in. Even Neville patted his arm and said, "Yeah, you're actually more Gryffindor than Slytherin now. How weird is that?" Draco simply stared at him, gobsmacked.

Breakfast was different with the Gryffindors. It was chatty and bright. Everyone was generally quite accepting of Draco, at least nodding at him when they saw him sitting with the Golden Trio. Draco thought back to the breakfasts on Slytherin table. Everyone was always so quiet and reserved there, so wrapped up in their own thoughts. They talked about a lot of the same things the Gryffindors did, only with 50 times more venom and sadism, and as he thought, he realised that he much preferred sitting with the Gryffindors. _Shit_, he thought, _Neville was right! I am more Gryffindor than Slytherin!_

"Draco?" Ginny said, breaking into his thoughts, making him jump half a foot into the air.

"Yeah, sorry, what were you saying? I was daydreaming a little bit. I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Oh, I was just asking if you wanted to come to Hogsmeade with us during half-term. If you're not hanging out with anyone from Slytherin, you can feel free to stay with us."

"But Hermione's not going to be around." Draco frowned. Ginny simply laughed at him, sharing a knowing glance with Hermione.

"We know that, Draco. We're inviting you to hang out with us anyways." Ron said, joining in with Ginny's laugh.

Draco suddenly felt out of his depth, and his Slytherin sneakiness came in handy. "I'm grateful to you all, but I think it would be a better idea for me to stay and try to mend whatever so-called friendships I just lost over there. I'm slightly behind on my Transfiguration essay, so I need to go and finish it, if that's okay with you. Thank you so much for accepting me, and inviting me out to Hogsmeade with you all. I'll see you later."

Draco bent down and kissed Hermione again, clapped Ron on the shoulder, high-fived Harry and winked at Ginny before he briskly walked back down to the dungeons. He jogged through the Common Room, ignoring the whispers that followed him and into his dormitory. He threw himself back on the bed and picked up his Transfiguration book. He wasn't lying when he said that he was behind on his Transfiguration essay, but he found that he couldn't focus on the chapter on Human transfiguration.

Everything was okay with Hermione, but the ties he had within his House were shredded to pieces. He had a love life, but he had barely any friends. He was one of the best students in his year, and now he couldn't even focus on one chapter in a Transfiguration text book. He had been sorted into Slytherin, but now he was showing famous Gryffindor bravery instead of the sneaky cunning that was found within his own House. Someone up there really had it out for him.

Draco couldn't help but simply laugh.

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><p><strong>I thought it would be nice for the Gryffindors to accept him, because I thought that would be best. If you didn't really get it, Ginny sort of encouraged them to do it, because obviously, Draco's with Hermione. The rest of the Gryffindor just followed Ginny's lead. Obviously if the Gryffindor's are going to accept him, then the Slytherin's have to shun him, what with their crazy rivalries.<strong>

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and please leave me a review. And I'd love some Challenge words - I haven't had any for ages, and I miss them!**

**Next update will be soon, I promise.**

**Lottie.**


	23. Grimmauld Place

**Hello to you all. Thank you for the good reviews, I do appreciate them. I am including the challenge phrase from unimaginablyevilguycalledbob this chapter. BelleBelles challenge phrase will make an appearance next chapter, I promise. This chapter is a lot longer than normal, because I wanted to include most of the things Hermione got up to at Grimmauld Place in half-term.**

**Anyways, enjoy. Oh, and there's smut in this chapter.**

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><p>Hermione woke up on Thursday morning happier than she had felt in a long time. She had spent as much of the week with Draco as she possibly could, and the rest of the school was slowly getting used to their relationship. The Slytherins were still mostly giving Draco the cold shoulder, though a couple of Slytherins had stopped ignoring Draco and started treating him how they normally would have. Draco sat with the Gryffindors for most meals, and he was slowly becoming good friends with Harry and Ron. She grinned for a moment before remembering where she was going that day, causing Hermione to shoot out of bed and start packing her small suitcase. She wasn't supposed to have it, but she had shrunk it at the beginning of term just in case she would have need for it. She was grinning from ear to ear as she folded her clothes and placed them neatly into the small black Samsonite case, along with all of her school books.<p>

Ginny burst into the dormitory just as Hermione sat on the lid to try and make it shut. Her red haired friend sat on Hermione's bed, laughing while Hermione wrestled with the zip on the case. Hermione finally managed to ease the zip shut and turned to glare at Ginny.

"Morning Hermione, how are you today?" Ginny asked brightly.

"I'd be a damn sight better if the suitcase would have shut easier." Hermione replied grumpily, throwing her robes over her head. From the many times she and Ginny had shared a bedroom at The Burrow, they had seen each other wearing only underwear most days, and had even seen each other naked a couple of times.

"Oh, be happy. You're going to London to see Remus and Sirius! You're getting out of Scotland, at least. It's freezing here, in case you haven't noticed. Not to mention, they both treat you more like an adult than a child, so you'll have freedom. _And_ they'll take you to Diagon Alley." Ginny said.

Hermione smiled sympathetically. "Speaking of, is there anything you want from Diagon Alley while I'm there? Or do you reckon you can get it all in Hogsmeade?"

"I should be fine, Hermione, thanks. I only need a new quill. I might get some chocolate too, actually. I'd ask if you wanted some, but Remus has more chocolate at Grimmauld Place than Honeydukes stocks, so you should be fine." Ginny grinned, and Hermione gladly returned the smile, linking arms with her. They were laughing down the stairs while they talked about the various times they had seen Remus eating chocolate.

"Oh, Ginny, do you remember that time he tried to give up chocolate? And then we went down to the kitchen to find him surrounded by chocolate frogs. He actually growled when we tried to get him to go back to bed, remember?" Hermione said, spluttering as she remembered the mess of chocolate around his mouth. She felt Ginny shake with silent laughter beside her, clinging onto her arm.

They were still laughing when they sat down together at Gryffindor table for breakfast, making the boys look at them questioningly. She threw herself into the seat next to Draco, pouring herself a cup of tea and grabbing some toast. As she spread liberal amounts of raspberry jam onto her toast, Ginny was explaining why they were laughing so much. She kissed Draco on the cheek as a greeting before biting into her toast. As Ginny told another anecdote about Remus' chocolate addiction, Hermione started to choke on her toast.

"Anapneo," Harry murmured, pointing his wand at Hermione's throat and Hermione felt her airways clear at once.

"Thanks, Harry." Hermione gasped, swallowing a mouthful of tea. "Gosh, you're going to kill me, Gin, I swear it! You can't go telling stories like that when I'm eating!"

The five of them ate their breakfast together, still laughing at various things happening around them, including watching a Hufflepuff third year get a Howler from his mother for putting hair-removal potion in a bottle that was labelled for Pepper-Up potion. Apparently, his father had gone into work completely bald, and the potion had even made his eyebrows vanish.

"Hermione, have you finished packing?" Draco asked from next to her.

"Yeah, did it all this morning. Why, what's up?" Hermione replied, staring into his stormy grey eyes.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out in the Room of Requirement, because we both have a free period, and I'm not going to see you for a week."

Hermione replied by kissing him, bidding a swift goodbye to her friends and dragging Draco by the hand up to the Seventh Floor. She watched as Draco paced in front of the doorway three times, and a beautiful gilded door appeared. Draco had pushed the door open for her, and stood aside as she stepped over the threshold. Hermione gasped. It was a cavernous room, decorated in pale blue and lilac. There was a huge bed at one end of the Room, but what attracted Hermione's attention was the soft green grass that carpeted the stone floor on the other side of the room. There was a large plaid blanket laid out on the grass, littered with blue and lilac cushions.

"Draco, it's beautiful." Hermione whispered. She slipped off her shoes and stepped onto the grass, feeling the cool blades cushioning her feet. She threw herself down onto the blanket, and patted the space next to her, watching with elation as Draco slipped off his own shoes and sat down next to her, threading their fingers together. She was pleased that he'd gone to the effort of making such a beautiful space for her.

"I love you, and I'm really going to miss you when you're gone." Draco said, and then he pulled her lips against his own in a soft kiss. Hermione thought that she had been hit with the jelly-legs jinx, because she suddenly went weak at the knees. She tugged at his robes and broke the kiss as they were pulled over his head. "You could have just vanished them." Draco muttered against her lips, doing just that to her robes.

"Yeah, I forgot about that." Hermione gasped when Draco kissed along her jaw and down her neck. She felt herself writhe against him as he kissed across her chest and down her stomach. Draco stopped and hesitated before he removed her underwear. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I was wondering…" Draco started, and then stopped talking, flushing scarlet.

Hermione felt a brief irritation seep through her. She was horny and she just wanted him. Her Gryffindor courage showed through her frustration as she realised what he had wanted to do. "Just do it, Draco. If I didn't want you to, I would have stopped you."

Draco smirked up at her and bent down to lick up her slit. She gasped again, feeling his tongue poke within her folds, lapping up her juices. He moved up her a little, and gently bit her clit, causing her to thrust her hips upwards. Draco slid a finger inside her, attacking her clit with his mouth while fucking her with his fingers. Hermione felt tension build up in her abdomen and it coiled as Draco continued his assault on her clit, and then suddenly, she exploded with a scream that echoed through the room.

"Merlin, Hermione. You liked that, did you?" Draco said silkily, rocking back onto his backside as Hermione recovered. She peeked down at his cock, laughing when she saw how red it was, aching to be touched. She was just thinking about how good it would be if she could return the favour when she blanched. It was not something that Hermione was especially good at, considering that she had a highly sensitive gag reflex. _Oh come on, Hermione_, she thought angrily, _are you a Gryffindor or what? You can do this! Just think of it as another project._

Hermione sat up and crawled over towards him, eyeing his erection warily. She summoned up all the courage she could and kissed Draco, moving down his neck and chest. She planted a chaste kiss on his tip, and he thrust upwards. "Oh please, if you want me to lick it just ask!" Hermione said, feigning a bored expression. She stared down at his weeping erection again, with a feeling of fierce determination flowing through her.

"Slytherin's soul, Hermione, you will be my undoing, I swear it. Please, Hermione." Draco gasped as Hermione kissed his tip again. Hermione poked out her tongue and licked the slit of his head, wrinkling her nose slightly as she tasted the bead of salty precome that had emerged. She bent her head down again and enveloped him in her mouth. She was only able to take half of him into her mouth before her gag reflex hit her, so she used her hand to pump at the base at the same time as her head bobbed down upon him. Hermione smirked as she heard Draco moan her name. The next time she bobbed down, her tongue flicked at his head, eliciting a deep moan from him. She increased her pace, and tightened her hand around his base, and then he came, shooting his load down her throat, making Hermione choke.

Before Hermione could get her breath back, however, Draco was attacking her with kisses, shoving his pink tongue in her mouth and tangling with her own. The moment Hermione had managed to clear her airway Draco had stolen her breath in another gasp as he kissed down her neck, gently nipping at the sensitive spot at the base of her throat. She watched as his head moved further down, capturing one of her nipples in his mouth and sucking it forcefully. Without any warning at all, Draco slid inside her and began to thrust hard. He drew back and plunged back inside her again and again until Hermione thought she was seeing stars, and then she exploded in such a forceful orgasm that she didn't notice when her nails raked down his back, leaving bloody trails in her wake. Not long after Hermione, Draco came, collapsing on her in a tangle of flushed, sweaty limbs.

"Merlin, that was amazing!" Hermione whispered, running her fingers through Draco's hair while he used her breasts as a pillow.

"Tell me about it. That was the best I've ever had!" Draco returned sleepily. Hermione chuckled.

"Just keeps getting better and better."

Draco sat up slowly, conjuring her robes back. "I need a shower, and to get ready for Herbology. You leave at 6, right? I'll come meet you at 5:30 here. I don't know where the entrance to the Tower is."

"Sure. Sounds like a plan. And just think, you have to go all the way down to the dungeons, whereas I'm only down the corridor!" Hermione snickered, pulling the robes over her head. She walked on the grass back to her shoes, slipping them on quickly. Then she stood on her tiptoes, kissed Draco and ran back to Gryffindor Tower with flushed cheeks and a soaring heart.

At 5:30pm, Hermione hugged Ron and Harry, promising to owl them during half term, and bearing a letter from Harry to Sirius. Then she gave Ginny a tight hug, kissing her on the cheek and promising to bring back plenty of chocolate for her.

Hermione walked down the corridor to the Room of Requirement, but she couldn't see any sign of Draco anywhere. When it got to 5:45pm, Hermione sighed sadly and made her way to Dumbledore's office. She was about to give the password to the Gargoyle when she heard the sound of shoes slapping the stone floor. She whirled, and saw Draco running at her.

"Hermione… I'm so sorry, I got held up… downstairs. By the… time I'd been up to… the Room, you were gone, so I came… running here to find you. So sorry I missed you up there. Have fun in London, my petal. I love you." Draco said, panting for breath

"That's wonderful and all, but are either of you going to tell me the password?" The Gargoyle said, looking between Hermione and Draco. Hermione gave Draco a small smile and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Thanks, I'll see you in a week then. I love you too." She said quietly, stroking Draco's cheek. "Skittles," she added to the Gargoyle, who leapt aside. Hermione walked up the spiral staircase, pulling her suitcase behind her. She walked into Dumbledore's office, smiling at the old man and pocketing another letter for Remus, before throwing a handful of Floo powder into the flickering orange flames, turning them emerald green.

Hermione took a last look around the office, smiled at Professor Dumbledore and stepped inside the flames, yelling "12, Grimmauld Place". She felt a tug around her navel and she was spinning faster and faster, until Dumbledore's office blurred into a streak of beige. Suddenly she was thrown out of the flames and into the kitchen in Sirius' house.

"Hermione!" Remus greeted her happily, giving her a hug and picking up her suitcase. "Come on, I'll take this to your room. How are Harry, Ron and Ginny?"

"Hi, Remus, it's good to see you too." Hermione laughed softly. "Everyone's fine, thanks. Harry's going out with Ginny now, and Ron is still with Lavender, thrashing around like a pair of eels at every chance they get. They all send their love. Oh, I have a letter for you from Dumbledore, by the way." Hermione followed Remus into the bedroom she would be using. It had been freshly painted in a pale jade green, and there was a large bed dominating the room. There was a small desk in the corner, as well as a bookshelf and a large wardrobe.

"Oh, good, I was expecting him to send one. So how is everything with Draco Malfoy?" Remus asked, winking an amber eye at her. Hermione giggled and followed Remus down to the drawing room.

"I'll save it for later when Sirius won't huff and puff at me. I know he despises the fact that of all the people I could have gone out with, I had to choose one from Slytherin."

Remus laughed. "Precisely, it's driven him mad. Expect a lecture at some point next week." Hermione looked at Remus again. He was limping slightly, and he had a new cut on his cheek from the last full moon, which was four days previous. Remus saw her looking and grimaced. "I won't lie to you, Hermione. It was a bad moon. I'll be fine, don't worry about me."

"Are you sure, Remus? You know that Dumbledore won't mind if you came back to Hogwarts to get checked over by Madam Pomfrey." Hermione said softly. Remus just shook his head. Hermione placed a hand on his shoulder, her delight at being with a close friend again breaking through her worry for him.

"Hello Hermione, how are you?" Sirius boomed from the sofa in the drawing room. He leapt up and crossed the room to wrap her up in a bone crushing hug. Hermione laughed again as she handed over Harry's letter.

"I'm fine, Sirius. How are you? Oh, I've missed you two so much! This is from Harry. Apparently, I save a lot of hassle, delivering letters to you two. I'm like a post owl." Hermione replied, hugging him back gently.

Sirius sat back down, gesturing to the seat next to him, but Hermione politely declined, remembering that that particular sofa was the one she'd caught Remus and Sirius making out on. She sat down on the sofa opposite instead, making Sirius chuckle. He shook his jet-black hair out of his eyes, and Hermione rolled her own eyes. Sirius was a babe magnet. He was extremely good looking, with amazing black hair that had enticed women near and far since he was at school. It was a shame for all those women though, considering that he preferred a muscular, tawny-haired werewolf man.

"We missed you too, Hermione." The aforementioned werewolf replied. He grinned at Hermione as he laced his fingers with Sirius'. "Is there anything you'd like? You can have tea, hot chocolate, pumpkin juice?"

"No thank you, but I would love to know about the wedding!" Hermione said, smiling at the couple in front of her. They smiled back, and Sirius excused himself from "this ladies gossip club" before winking at Hermione and exiting the drawing room. Remus came to sit next to her, and she folded her legs beneath her. "So, tell me how it happened then!"

"Persistent, aren't you?" Remus said warmly, before summoning a box of Honeydukes chocolate and popping a truffle in his mouth. Hermione helped herself to a strawberry cream chocolate while Remus began to speak. "Well, you found out last Christmas about us, albeit by accident. You know that we were together at school, and we were engaged before James and Lily got killed, and Sirius got sent to Azkaban." Remus' face tightened in pain.

"Are you okay, Remus?" Hermione asked softly. He nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine. So after we all discovered that Sirius was innocent, we decided to give it another try. After all, my feelings had never changed, and neither had his. And we kept the secret pretty well, don't you think? No one suspected a thing, apart from Dumbledore, but he respected our wishes enough not to tell anyone except Minerva. Of course, I expected you would find out eventually, you _are_ the brightest witch of your age and you did learn about my lycanthropy when you were only thirteen. Anyways, in the middle of September, Sirius just got down on a knee and asked me to marry him. No romance, or anything, it was just completely out of the blue. You know how Sirius is, though, so I'm not surprised that he didn't do something overtly sweet."

"Is there a ring?" Hermione asked eagerly. Remus smiled gently.

"No, there's no ring. Apparently I get my ring when we get married." Remus rolled his eyes and Hermione laughed again. "What about you and Malfoy?"

Hermione's smile spread wider. "No one could have predicted that. Early October, he sends me a note with his owl, asking me to meet him in the Room of Requirement, where… well… we admitted our feelings, and things happened."

"He didn't force you, did he?"

"No! Of course he didn't! Things were a little rocky, because he declared undying love for me two days after he asked me out. I freaked out and broke up with him, but now we're back together. And everything's great, honestly, Remus. We've had a couple of arguments, and the whole school knows about us being together, but everything's okay. The Slytherins kind of shunned him for it, but a few of them are coming round, and everyone in Gryffindor has accepted him like one of our own. It's nice. I didn't expect Harry and Ron to come round as easily as they did, considering how much of a git Draco used to be to all three of us, but I think Ginny talked them into the idea. I don't know what I'd do without Ginny, you know that?"

"Well, she's one of your best friends. It's her job to be there for you no matter what, and she wouldn't dream of doing any different. Come on, I think Sirius is actually cooking." Remus said, bouncing up from the sofa, and taking Hermione's hand.

Dinner was a happy affair, what with Sirius cracking jokes and asking Hermione about school. Sirius had cooked an amazing beef stew, and Remus had made a chocolate fudge cake for dessert. The three had stayed up talking, and then drinking until late into the night, when Sirius got very drunk, and a tipsy Hermione had tried to help Remus put Sirius to bed. An hour later, Hermione was climbing into her bed in the guest room, staring up at the mural on the ceiling of the stars in the sky. The gentle twinkling of the paint soothed Hermione into a deep and dreamless sleep, while she sighed in contentment.

"Hermione, wake up. Hermione, come on, breakfast is ready!" Remus said, shaking Hermione awake. She still slept. "Have it your way. _Sonorus_. Wake up, Hermione! _Quietus_."

Hermione fell out of the bed with shock. "What did you do that for?" She asked, rubbing the back of her head. All she had heard was Remus' voice, amplified to about a hundred decibels, telling her to wake up.

"Sorry, Hermione, but you wouldn't wake up. I had to resort to extremes. Breakfast is ready." Remus said, tossing Hermione her dressing gown, which she gratefully slipped into. She followed Remus down the stairs, and also following the smell of bacon and sausages frying in a pan.

"Ooh, Sirius, that smells delightful. Good morning, by the way." Hermione said.

"Morning, Hermione. Help yourself to tea. Did you sleep well?" Sirius replied, cracking an egg into the pan.

"Yeah, it was great. I'm surprised you're up though, you drank a lot last night." Hermione grinned, pouring three cups of tea.

"Tell me about it." Sirius muttered darkly, serving up the breakfast for them. The three of them ate breakfast quietly, each stuck in their own thoughts, though Hermione did kick Sirius under the table when his face showed an expression she had only ever seen on a man during sex. He at least had the decency to flush with embarrassment and refuse to meet Hermione's eyes for the next half an hour, making her chuckle nervously.

They spent the day talking and playing various games, including several rounds of exploding snap. Towards the end of the afternoon, Hermione started and finished her Charms holiday homework. For the next three days, Remus, Sirius and Hermione did various things, including cooking together, and repainting two more bedrooms. By night, Hermione did all of her homework, until only her DADA homework was left. On the Monday, Remus helped Hermione do her essay for Defence, and helped her with some of the other topics that were yet to come up, giving her two books that he had found useful while he had taught at Hogwarts.

On Tuesday morning, Remus shook Hermione awake again. "Come on, we're going to Diagon Alley. Sirius is cooking breakfast now."

Hermione had followed him groggily, padding softly down the stairs and into the kitchen, which was filled with the rich smell of chocolate. As she threw a questioning glance at Remus, Sirius opened the oven with a swish of his wand, and six chocolate croissants flew out and onto a warm plate on the table, between the three place settings.

"Merlin, Sirius, you've outdone yourself this time! They're amazing!" Hermione exclaimed, after taking a tentative bite out of one of the croissants. Remus made a sound of agreement to her right, while Sirius grinned.

"I'm glad you two enjoyed it. Now hurry up and get dressed. We're off to Diagon Alley." Sirius said.

Twenty minutes later, Sirius was handing round the little box of Floo powder. He grabbed a handful of the black powder and stepped into the kitchen fireplace. "Diagon Alley!" He cried, vanishing in the emerald flames.

"Go on, Hermione, you next." Remus said, pushing her towards the flames.

"Diagon Alley." Hermione said clearly, feeling the pull of the flames. She stumbled out of a fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron, where Sirius caught her, and pulled her towards the bar. A few moments later, Remus appeared on Hermione's other side. They set off for Gringotts bank, going to their various accounts. Hermione was astounded to see the amount of gold that was in Sirius' vault, and it wasn't just money. There were various trinkets, and paintings in the vault that were probably priceless. When Hermione went to go to her own vault, Sirius stopped her.

"You're staying with us, Hermione. Anything you need, we will pay for, don't worry about it." Sirius said quietly, patting her on the shoulder. Hermione knew it was useless to argue with him, so she simply hugged him very tightly. She felt his hand pat her back as he returned her embrace.

"Thank you, Sirius. That's really sweet of you, and you didn't have to offer that. But I need several books and some new robes. You're already letting me stay with you, and I honestly don't have any intention of letting _you_ pay for _my_ essentials. So, thank you, but I'm not taking your money." Hermione said, turning away from Sirius and walking back towards her own vault.

"Nice try, Hermione. I don't care what you need; I have more money than I know what to do with, so I'll be paying for anything you need. All that is required is a 'yes, Sirius, thank you'." Sirius replied haughtily, taking Hermione's hand and dragging her back towards the lobby of the bank.

"Remus, can't you talk him out of this?" Hermione pleaded. She scowled when Remus laughed and shook his head. Sirius continued to drag her back to the exit of the bank. After a few minutes of struggling, Hermione let the two men lead her to Flourish and Blotts, where she bought a new Transfiguration book, two new Potions books and a new copy of _Hogwarts: A History_, because Pansy Parkinson had set hers on fire early in September. Hermione felt a feeling of shame as Sirius paid for her purchases, because she was a very independent girl and felt that it ought to be her that paid for things that she was to use. After they had left Flourish and Blotts, Remus frogmarched her to Madam Malkin's, where she chose a new set of school robes and two pairs of everyday robes, one in lilac and the other in a rich navy blue.

"Hey, Hermione, I got you a couple of new quills, and some stuff for Harry, Ron and Ginny from Fred and George." Sirius said, walking up to them outside Madam Malkin's. "Let's go to Fortescue's, he's just brought out new toffee fudge ice cream, and I heard that they are to die for." With that, he linked one arm with Remus and the other with Hermione, and dragged them towards the ice-cream shop.

"Merlin, I am exhausted!" Hermione exclaimed four hours later in the kitchen at 12 Grimmauld Place. She dusted soot off of her robes and turned to her friends. "Thank you both so much for taking me out and buying all of that stuff for me. You didn't have to do it, and I'll be forever grateful to you. I'm going to go upstairs and try on my new robes, if that's okay."

"Of course, Hermione, and it was no trouble, honestly. Sirius wasn't lying when he said he had more money than he knew what to do with. Go on, we'll see you in a bit." Remus said kindly, pushing her towards the stairs. Hermione flashed him a grin and ran up the stairs, her arms laden with bags.

When she got to her room, Hermione stripped off her robes and tore the wrapping from her new purchases. She tried on the navy blue robes and stared at herself in the mirror, gazing wondrously at her figure. Normally witches robes tended to make her look as though she had the body of a nine-year-old boy, but these accentuated her figure and revealed the hourglass shape that her body held. She grinned and tried the lilac pair. They sculpted her body in the same way, and she was having trouble deciding which pair she favoured.

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><p>For the next two days, Remus and Hermione spent most of their time in the library, eating chocolate and reading in the dim light of the lanterns that were dotted around the cavernous room. They were joined occasionally by Sirius, but he preferred to decorate the house and turn it into a place worth living in. It was a tough job, and sometimes objects in a particular room fought back, resulting in loud swearing punctuating the silence of Remus' library. Hermione was happy when she saw Remus and Sirius together, because they didn't hide anything from her. They often shot each other loving glances, and held hands, or kissed each other. Hermione knew without a doubt that they were perfect for one another.<p>

Hermione woke up on her last day at Grimmauld Place rather sad. She would be leaving her friends just after lunch and wouldn't see them again for at least six months. She knew her suitcase was packed (she had placed an Undetectable Extension Charm on it) and she didn't think there was anything of hers still left around the house. She dressed in her new blue robes, and packed her pyjamas in the suitcase.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, but afterwards, Sirius and Remus talked with her about their schooldays as Marauders and the various pranks they had played. Hermione had shrieked with laughter and been forced by Remus to pack a few boxes of chocolate for her to share with Ginny when she got back to Hogwarts. Suddenly the flames in the kitchen fireplace glowed emerald green.

"Miss Granger, it's time to come back to school now, if you please. I'll give you ten minutes to say goodbye to Mr Lupin and Mr Black." Professor Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Thank you, sir." Hermione replied, just as Remus drew his wand and muttered "Accio Hermione's suitcase". The black Samsonite skidded to a stop next to her. Hermione threw herself into Sirius' arms. "Thank you so much, for letting me stay and for buying me that stuff in Diagon Alley. I'll write to you soon."

Sirius hugged her back tightly, telling her that she was more than welcome. Hermione then launched herself into Remus' embrace and she grinned when she felt him kiss her hair. She gave them both another hug each, and then she stepped into the fire, clutching her Samsonite in her left hand. She threw down her handful of Floo powder as Remus laid his head on Sirius' chest, while the latter held Remus close.

"Professor Dumbledore's office," Hermione cried, watching Grimmauld Place spin away. Hermione stepped out of Dumbledore's fireplace, looking around the familiar office and grinning at her headmaster.

"Welcome back, Miss Granger. I trust you had a nice time in London? Your robes are marvelous, by the way. Sre they from Madam Malkin's?" He said kindly.

"Yes sir, they are. Thank you, they were a present from Sirius. And it was lovely with Remus and Sirius. I had a lot of fun there, but it is nice to be back." Hermione winked and made her way back to Gryffindor Tower.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this chappy. I sure enjoyed writing it lol :) <strong>**I'd still love some challenge phrases for future chapters, so feel free to drop me some.**

**Please review, because your reviews keep me going! :)**

**Lottie.**


	24. Hash Browns

**Hello. Sorry it's been a few days, but I've been quite busy really. Day before last, I _FINALLY_ watched Deathly Hallows Part 2 (it's taken long enough). I was literally bawling like a baby all the way through it, especially when it was going through Snape's memories, and then when Lily, James, Remus and Sirius came out of the Resurrection Stone. Just... it was incredible. And then yesterday, I recieved my exam results, which were all really good, and I'm so happy and proud. I also wrote my first Remus/Hermione fic, and you can find that on my profile.**

**Right, well, I hope you enjoy this chappy, because I live to please. I've included BelleBelles challenge phrase in this chapter.**

**Well, enjoy.**

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><p>Draco walked over to Gryffindor table absently. He still had breakfast with the Gryffindors, though he spent lunch and dinner with his fellow Slytherins. As he sat down next to Harry, he thought about Hermione and the morning they had spent together on the day she left for London. He felt his cheeks growing hot at the memories, and he helped himself to a goblet of iced pumpkin juice. Draco was snapped out of his memories by the sound of sniggers issuing from him new-found friends.<p>

"What's so funny?" Draco asked, looking around. Then he spotted her, a moment before slender, but surprisingly strong arms were flung around his neck. Draco kissed her bushy hair tenderly, but she still didn't let go, though she was almost crushing him with her embrace.

"Hi. I'm back. You know, in case my strangling you didn't let you know." Hermione said, pulling her arms back from his neck as she grinned widely, staring into his eyes. Draco felt his own lips tug up in a smile, and he placed his hands on either side of her face, pulling her in for a searing kiss. It could have been seconds or hours later when somebody cleared their throat beside them. Hermione broke the kiss, smiling sheepishly and apologising to her friends.

"I must say, I'm glad you're back. I didn't see you last night though, where were you?" Draco said, before he pecked her lips again.

"Oh, I was down in the kitchens. I managed to sneak back into Gryffindor tower while everyone was still in Hogsmeade, and then I simply went to the library for about four hours and then snuck down to the kitchens. Then this lot ambushed me when I walked back into the Common Room." Hermione jerked her thumb in the direction of Harry, Ron and Ginny.

"Aha. I can smell chocolate. Is that you?" Draco said. His brow furrowed as he sniffed the air.

"Oh, that would be Remus' fault actually. He gave me three boxes, and Ginny talked me into having some with her this morning before we came down." Hermione rolled her eyes as Ginny started laughing.

"Merlin's saggy underpants, you should be glad you've got me. No one else would talk you into eating chocolate before breakfast, I daresay not even Remus." Ginny interjected, sounding half amused and half indignant. She sounded remarkably like Ron, Draco noted thoughtfully.

"Where does Lupin's chocolate addiction come from? You guys talk about it _a lot_." Draco asked. He wasn't at all surprised when it was Harry who answered him.

"Well, I don't know if you're aware, but my parents and Remus and Sirius went to school with Snape. In their fifth year, Snape was asking questions about where Remus went every month, and Sirius told him to go to the entrance of the Whomping Willow. I'm not allowed to tell you how to get in, but it basically lead to the Shrieking Shack, which is where Remus used to hide at full moons while he was here. Anyways, Sirius told Snape how to get in, and nearly got Snape killed. My dad ran down and saved his life."

"Right, so what does this have to do with Remus' chocolate addiction?"

"I'm getting to that. Well, that was a particularly bad moon for Remus, because he got so close to relieving his bloodlust, but the chance to bite was snatched away from him. In the morning, when he woke up, he was inconsolable and it did a lot of psychological damage. You've got to understand that Remus and Sirius were closer friends than even Sirius and my dad. They were brothers in every way but blood. When he finally made up with Sirius, the first thing Sirius gave him was chocolate, which soothed him. Since then, because of his fragility, when it's close to the moon, or he's feeling vulnerable, he eats chocolate. It's the ultimate comfort food."

Draco had listened intently throughout Harry's telling of the tale and suddenly every slid into place. "They're together, aren't they?" Draco gasped.

Harry froze. "What did you say?"

"They can't be, Harry. I think we would have noticed by now." Ron said, a familiar gormless expression slipping onto his heavily freckled face.

Draco looked between the four Gryffindors. Harry had turned white, and he looked as if he had gone into shock. Ron had a bemused expression on his face, but then it wasn't anything new. Ginny had a suppressed grin on her face, and she looked oddly triumphant, as if she'd expected it. Draco finally turned to look at Hermione, whose eyes were filled with tears and her bottom lip trembled violently.

Ginny was the first to recover. "Harry, what does it matter if they are or not? I mean, we can't even be sure that they're together, because they have never let anything slip that they are. I mean have you ever seen them have any physical contact that's not normal for friends?"

"But if they are, they should have told me." Harry whispered, his face still deathly pale. Draco looked at Hermione again. Her brown eyes were still swimming with tears. He laced his fingers with hers underneath the table and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"They _shouldn't_ have done anything. It'd be great if they _did_ tell us, but they're not obligated to share every part of their personal lives with us." Ginny fumed. She turned her attention to her brother, and Draco recoiled at the look she'd given Ron, even though he knew it wasn't directed at him. "Ron, for fucks sake, will you shut your mouth and stop looking so gormless!"

"Language, Miss Weasley! Five points from Gryffindor." Professor McGonagall swept past them, up on her way to the head table.

"Guys, maybe I should go. This is obviously something that should stay between you lot." Draco said hesitantly. He was actually scared at the amount of fury that held free reign over Ginny's facial expression, and he knew that he'd never want to be on the receiving end of it. Suddenly Hermione clutched his hand tighter and shook her head. In that moment, everyone turned their attention to her.

"Hermione, what's going on? What do you know that we don't?" Harry asked quietly. The colour was starting to return to his face, much to Draco's relief, because he honestly looked as though he was going to faint for a minute there.

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you. It's not my business to tell. If you really want to know, why don't you send them a letter?" Hermione replied. She spread some blackberry jam on her toast and bit into it, chewing thoughtfully.

"Does that mean you know something, then?" Ron asked eagerly.

"She just said that even if she did know, she wouldn't tell us." Ginny snapped. A sudden silence fell between the five of them as everyone got lost in their thoughts.

"You may not care, nor want to hear it, but I agree with Ginny. It doesn't matter either way, does it? Sirius is still your family, isn't he? _If_ he is in a relationship with Lupin, he probably had a good reason for not telling you. Why don't you just owl him?" Draco said, breaking the silence that had grown rather tense. Hermione squeezed his hand again, and Draco smiled without looking away from Harry.

"I… Well, that's not the… they should have told me!" Harry replied indignantly. Draco felt anger swelling within him.

"Oh yeah, and why's that Potter? What, you should be told everything that's going on in your godfather's life? That's not even being concerned, it just makes you nosy!" Ginny yelled. Draco's anger vanished so fast, he thought it must have disapparated. Instead, shock fell in its place. He looked at Hermione, who just looked bored when Ginny got up and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"That was a bit of an overreaction." Ron said. He looked as though he'd just been whacked over the head with a particularly heavy book.

"Honestly, Ronald, she has a point! Harry, for goodness sake, if you're that bothered about it, write to them!" Hermione said bossily, before rising from the table and going after Ginny.

Draco looked at the two boys. Ron had started shovelling bacon into his mouth again, whereas Harry was looking dumbstruck.

"I take it she's never been that angry before." Draco said dryly.

"Never with me, that's for sure. In fact, I don't think she's ever called me by my surname before. What's her problem?"

"Hark if I know. Why don't you ask Ronald?"

"Unh ragm ntuh hiss!" Ron said, his mouth bulging with sausage. He chewed and the swallowed before opening his mouth again. "Don't drag me into this!"

"She's your sister!" Draco retorted.

"Maybe… maybe it's her… you know, _time of the month_." Harry whispered dramatically. He flushed the moment the words had left his lips, and Draco burst into peals of laughter.

"It's plausible, of course, but that doesn't explain how protective she was of the situation. Maybe Ginny knows something?" Draco said thoughtfully, once he'd recovered from his laughter.

"I don't know. We've got to go, we have Charms with the Ravenclaws in twenty minutes, and I need to go and brush my teeth. Come on, Ron." Harry said, rising from the table, and clapping Draco on the shoulder.

Draco sat alone for another few minutes whilst he finished his breakfast, and then rose from Gryffindor table to head down to the dungeons. He walked through his dormitory and into the bathroom to brush his own teeth and wash his face. When he walked back into the dormitory, he saw Blaise and Theo talking quietly but animatedly, their heads together. Instead of disturbing them, he grabbed his bag and threw his Herbology books into it, along with his dragon-hide gloves.

"Hey! Draco, is everything okay?" Theo asked, looking up from his conversation with Blaise.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You guys looked busy, so I thought I'd leave you to it. I'm off to Herbology. Are you two coming?"

Theo nodded, and the three Slytherins left for the Greenhouses. Theo had hit him with the jelly-legs jinx on the way, so when they had settled in Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Professor Sprout was telling them about the plant they would be studying that lesson, Draco hit him with the tickling jinx. Theo immediately doubled up in laughter, knocking over a bowl of undiluted Bubotuber pus, which spilled on his shoes and made them melt and shrivel up, burning into his socks. Draco looked away before he could see what the pus did to Theo's skin.

"Argh!" Theo yelled in between his laughter. Draco quickly countered his tickling jinx and looked over to the Professor.

"Well, take him to the Hospital wing! Quickly, boy, come on." Sprout shrieked. Draco hoisted one of Theo's arms around his shoulder, and Blaise put Theo's other arm around his shoulders and between them, they dragged Theodore Nott to the hospital wing. As they dragged the thin boy between them, he moaned pitifully.

"Shit, Theo, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that would happen!" Draco said urgently. They were nearly there, and Draco picked up the pace.

"Anything… for… a laugh, eh? It's fine… but… you owe… me some… chocolate… frogs." Theo murmured weakly, and coughed out a chuckle.

"Of course, mate. I really am -"

"What on earth happened?" Madam Pomfrey shrieked, pointing the boys over to a spare bed. They jogged over to it, placing Theo on it carefully. "_Well?"_ The Healer shrieked.

"It was Bubotuber pus. It was an accident, but it spilled all over his shoes." Blaise said quickly. "Can you fix it?"

"Of course I can fix it, you silly boy! Now move, both of you!" Madam Pomfrey cried whilst waving her wand over his Theo's feet, and dabbing various potions over them. Within a few minutes, Theo was fully healed, though he still looked rather peaky. Draco sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"Theo, I am so sorry, it was a complete accident."

The thin, gangly boy chuckled. "It's alright, Drake, honestly. I'm okay, there's no permanent damage. Like I said, you can make it up to me with a bunch of chocolate frogs. And you can pay for drinks next time we're in the Three Broomsticks, okay?"

"Alright." Draco said, though he felt far from relieved. He patted Theo's shoulder and walked back to Herbology with Blaise. A thoughtful silence punctuated every step they took, and when they finally got back to the Greenhouses, the class was nearly over. Draco watched as Blaise reassured Professor Sprout that Theo was fine, and then the bell rang shrilly.

Draco snatched up his bag, still feeling troubled, and walked briskly to Transfiguration. He threw himself into the seat and took out his book, as well as his quill and ink. He was the first one in the class, even before Hermione, but he didn't mind. A few seconds later, Hermione sprinted into the class. She put her stuff at her desk and then sat down in the seat next to Draco. She didn't say anything, opting instead to intertwine their fingers and gently rub his hand with her thumb.

They sat there, holding hands for another ten minutes, until the class started to fill up. Hermione moved back into her own seat when McGonagall cleared her throat quietly in front of them. His beautiful girlfriend threw him an apologetic look over her shoulder and then grinned at him. He returned the smile, and then turned his attention back to McGonagall's lecture on human Transfiguration. Draco gripped the edge of the table as he spaced out, feeling a cold sweat spring up on his forehead.

_Hermione danced in front of him, wearing the same periwinkle blue dress robes that she wore to the Yule Ball during their Fourth Year. However, the robes were considerably smaller on her than they were two years ago, especially across her bust. She swished her hips before him again and leaned down. What Draco hadn't noticed before was that her robes had been magically torn to reveal her ample cleavage._

"_Draco, honey, I've missed you so much." She murmured, kissing him slowly and saucily._

_When Draco was released from her enchanting kiss, he frowned. "But I'm sitting right behind you. And even before that, you were only gone a week."_

"_But any time away from you is the longest time." Hermione pouted. "When I'm away from you, I feel like there's a Dementor nearby. It damn near kills me."_

"_I…"_

"_Shh!" Hermione kissed him again, and sat on his lap, straddling him. One of her slender hands slipped down his chest to rub the hard lump forming in his pants. Hermione broke the kiss long enough to chuckle. "Is that a wand in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?"_

"_I'm always happy to see you, my petal." Draco muttered back against her lips. She chuckled again._

"_Draco, wake up!" Someone said urgently, next to him. He looked at Hermione, who was wearing a hurt expression._

"_Malfoy! Wake up at once!" McGonagall. _Oh shit_, he thought._

"Argh!" Draco hollered when his eyes opened. Professor McGonagall was justthisclose to his face, and she looked furious.

"Mr Malfoy! How _dare_ you fall asleep in my class! Ten points from Slytherin House and detention on Thursday night with Mr Filch. Now _pay attention_, all of you!" McGonagall barked, and everyone immediately looked back at the front of the class.

Fuck. Detention with Filch? That was sure to be awful. He was one of the few students who actually knew that Filch was a Squib, and so therefore hated the students, for they were magical and he was not. He especially hated the muggle born students, for they were from completely non-magical families, unlike him. However, they had magical powers, and he did not. He was a very bitter and twisted man, though if it were possible, his filthy little cat was worse. He sat up straight and focussed on the words on McGonagall's blackboard angrily.

Later, at lunch, he chose to sit with the Gryffindors again, simply to be close to Hermione. As he sat down, he ran a hand along the edge of the table, but his nail snagged on a splinter and broke, drawing blood. A very sharp pain accompanied the blood and he gasped, swearing under his breath. Unseen by him, Hermione looked up at his face, abandoning her attempt to find her quill.

"Oh. My. God!"

"What?"

"I broke a nail, and it hurts so fucking much!" Draco said, devastated.

"Really?" Hermione replied scornfully. She waved her wand over his hand and his nail repaired itself. The little wound stopped the welling of his blood, and with another wave, the blood vanished. "Want me to kiss it better too?"

"Well, if you'd like." Draco said, winking at her. A naughty smirk was playing at his lips as he held his hand up. Hermione shook her head, curls bouncing. She bent her head, and Draco felt her soft lips kiss his sore finger gently. Almost as an afterthought, she bit his finger gently, causing him to hiss in a way that most certainly wasn't pain.

"That better?" Hermione asked innocently. Only her eyes betrayed her.

"My finger is, but I'm afraid another part of me hasn't fared so well." Draco gestured vaguely downwards, towards his now rock-hard penis. Hermione sniggered, turned away and bit into a turkey sandwich. Draco rolled his eyes and served himself some eggs, sausages and mushrooms.

"Draco?"

"Yes, my petal?"

"Have you ever had Hash Browns?" Hermione asked.

"Um, no, I haven't. What is a Hash Brown?"

Harry gasped. "You've never had Hash Browns? Even I've had them, and I've lived with the Dursley's for fifteen years."

"Is anyone going to tell me what they are?" Draco asked impatiently. "Ron, Ginny, have you had them?"

"Not us, mate. We may be blood traitors, but we're still pure-bloods. I'd never even heard of them until third year, when Hermione was pining after them. Come to think of it, you still haven't had me try them yet, Mione!" Ron said, looking indignant.

"But Hermione and I have been going to the kitchens to have them for three years!" Harry said loudly.

"I want to try it. What is it?"

"Fried potatoes and onions. It may not sound like much, but they are amazing, really!" Hermione explained.

Draco furrowed his brow. "Alright, I'll try one. Let's go to the kitchens now."

Ginny and Ron nodded, so they all abandoned their lunches and headed down the stairs to the kitchens. Hermione slipped her hand in his while they walked down into the dungeons, and the five of them exchanged jokes and light banter before stopping before the giant painting of the fruit bowl.

"I've never been in the kitchens before." Ginny whispered to Harry, while Ron reached up and tickled the pear. It giggled and morphed into a large green door handle, which he tugged open. They walked into the kitchens and were immediately swamped by the house-elves. Hermione ordered a plate of those Hash Brown things, and they were pushed in the direction of the little table. Several chairs were being brought over, carried high above the heads of the tiny elves. In a few more moments, a tray of Butterbeers were brought to the five students.

"They seem really excited today." Hermione noted.

"Of course they do. They love it when people come down here, because they get to do even more for Hogwarts!" Ron exclaimed, just as a small elf brought over a huge plate of steaming triangles. They were lumpy, and looked incredibly greasy. Draco looked at Hermione, who was in the middle of throwing Ron a filthy look. Draco looked back down at the hash browns dubiously. Harry's hand snaked out and grabbed one. He bit into it, and a look of pure ecstasy filled his face.

"Um, Hermione, are you sure…" Draco trailed off, watching as a similar look exploded on Hermione's face. Feeling decidedly cautious, he reached for one of the greasy hash browns. He blew on it and bit into it. They were wonderful, he learned, and he soon finished the first one. The potato was so soft, whereas the crispy coating and the cubes of onion provided a delicious crunch. It was delicious. "Woah."

"I know, they're amazing, aren't they? Who knew muggles could invent things this delicious?" Ginny breathed, taking an enormous bite out of a hash brown. For a split second, she looked remarkably like her brother, who was stuffing his face.

"I sure as hell didn't!" Draco said. He was surprisingly impressed.

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><p><strong>If you have never had a hash brown, you have not lived. You know that expression of ecstasy I mentioned while Harry was eating? That's what I look like when eating hash browns.<strong>

**Anyways, what did you think? I'd still like some challenge words, if you wanna give me some. I'll use anything you give me, Siriusly.**

**Drop me a review as well, I do love 'em. I'd like to thank all those who reviewed the last chapter too. :)**

**Lottie.**


	25. Yellow Brick Road

**Hey you guys. I'm so glad that so many of you liked the last chapter, and the mention of the beloved hash browns. Thank you all for your reviews, they were really cool. This chapter, I am using lunalovgoodfan1195's challenge phrase, which was really fun to write with, and I hope you guys appreciate the fun in this chappy.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>It was November 16th, and a month after Hermione had introduced Draco, Ron and Ginny to the genius that was the hash brown, with a little help from Harry. At the present moment, she was sat on her four-poster bed, surrounded with various bits of parchment and muttering to herself anxiously. The very reason that she was so worried was that she had no idea what to buy her boyfriend of a month for Christmas.<p>

"Hermione! What's taking you so long? We're going to be late, and Harry's getting cranky." Ginny said, bursting into the room.

"Tell Harry he can bite me, because I'm sitting here, wondering what to get my boyfriend for Christmas!" Hermione replied irritably. Ginny's face softened, and she sat down on Hermione's bed, moving about six scraps of parchment before doing so.

"Listen, we've still got a month before we have to full on panic. Let's just go now, and we can see if there's anything nice in Hogsmeade while we're there. I'll even buy you a Butterbeer in the Broomsticks. Of course, we'll need to make sure Ron's eyes don't bulge out of his head when he sees Rosmerta." Ginny snickered.

"Alright, I'm coming. Hold on, I thought Ron was going to Hogsmeade with Lavender?"

"Nah, didn't you hear about the argument they had last night? It was brilliant; she was throwing things at him, saying how he was really immature and how he hung around with you too much. Ron was really cool about it though, saying how she wanted all of his time and he was sick of not being able to spend time with his friends. He said that is she didn't like it, she could fuck off. I was really quite impressed, actually." Ginny said in a rush, and her eyes were twinkling.

"Really? Wow, I didn't think Ron had it in him. I was wondering why Lavender was giving me the cold shoulder this morning. Not that it was missed, actually, but still." Hermione said. She was rather impressed with Ron, herself. She sighed, and gathered up all the parchment, putting it in the plastic box on her pillow.

"Where were you last night, anyways?"

"Um, Room of Requirement. With Draco." Hermione replied, blushing a deep pink. Ginny linked their arms, and dragged Hermione from the dormitory.

The two girls walked to the entrance hall together, still discussing Ron's argument with his girlfriend the previous night. Ron and Harry were waiting for them, watching with horrified expressions as a large number of rubies were flying up out of the huge Gryffindor hourglass. Ginny's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What did you two do?" Ginny muttered furiously.

"Nothing! We didn't do a thing, I swear!" Ron answered. His face had gone white, and Hermione understood why, considering that a hundred rubies had been taken from Gryffindor.

"Well then, who did?" Hermione asked the obvious question. Several more Gryffindor students had stopped by the hourglass, with similar horror-struck faces as they saw the difference in the amount of rubies.

"What did you lot do now?" An angry Seventh year said. Hermione vaguely remembered that her name was Eliza Jones.

"Actually, it wasn't us." Hermione replied coolly. "Just because Harry, Neville and I lost Gryffindor 150 house points in First Year doesn't immediately mean that we are responsible once again. We don't know who did it."

Eliza frowned. "Well we better find out, because we're now in third place for the House cup."

Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes at the same time, and dragged Harry and Ron out of the main doors to the castle. Draco wasn't with the Gryffindors today, because he was apparently still making Hermione's Christmas present, which filled her with guilt. She still hadn't decided what to get him yet, though she was planning on having a very thorough look in all of the shops in Hogsmeade that very same day. Ginny linked their arms again, and Hermione peered around her best girl friend to see that her fingers were interlaced with Harry's. Ron had caught up with Dean and Seamus, so Hermione felt a little third-wheelish, whilst listening to Harry and Ginny's conversation.

"Harry, I was reading up on the old wizarding families yesterday when I was in the library, and there were several family trees in it for the older pure-blood families. The book was written about fifty years ago, but the family trees have been charmed to add any new family members to have been included in the family since the book was written, you know, like marriages, or births. And guess what I found out, that none of us knew?" Hermione asked, knowing that Harry wouldn't care until she broke the big news.

"What did you find out, Hermione?" Harry asked wearily. She grinned widely, when she saw that Ginny actually looked interested.

"Well, I spied a bit about the Black family. Lucretia Black was Orion Black's sister, so she was Sirius' aunt. Only, Lucretia was born out of wedlock, meaning that she had never appeared on the Black family tree, and even if she was, she would have been disowned, because she didn't end up in Slytherin when she went to Hogwarts. She actually ended up in Gryffindor. She had red hair, Harry."

"So? What's that got to do with anything?" Harry replied.

Ginny caught on quickly. "Come, Harry. Surely you know that all the Potter men were famous for having a soft spot for women with red hair. Your mother had red hair and your grandmother had red hair. Dumbledore even told me that your great-grandmother had red hair."

"So, what? You're telling me that this Lucretia Black is related to me?"

"Yes," said Hermione simply. "Lucretia Black married Charlus Potter. Lucretia Black is your paternal grandmother, Harry. So, actually, Sirius was your father's cousin. And that means that he is also _your_ second cousin."

Harry's jaw dropped open. "I'm actually related to my godfather?"

"Yeah, you are." Ginny said. "Weren't you listening, honey?"

"I was listening, thanks very much. D'you know what this means, Hermione?"

"Um, no, but I'd love to know." Hermione was, for once in her life, confused. Harry was beaming from ear to ear.

"I never have to go back to the Dursley's again! All we have to do is show the Ministry that family tree, and then I'll be allowed to live with Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, picking Ginny up around her waist and spinning her round. He finally set his girlfriend on her feet and kissed her. He then ran to Hermione and hugged her very tightly, whispering a very fervent "thank you!" in her ear, before kissing her on the cheek.

"Harry. Harry, listen to me. You can't live with Sirius, for more than one reason. The first reason is that although Sirius was officially pardoned and publically apologised to, he's still being kept a close eye on. The second reason is that… orphans… are supposed to go and live with their closest living relatives, who are your aunt and uncle," said Hermione sadly. Her eyes prickled with tears when Harry's face fell.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry." Ginny said softly.

"It's alright. I was just really hoping I could go and live with him, you know?" Harry said. Both Hermione and Ginny moved forward and hugged him. He hugged them back feebly, and Hermione felt the tears spill over and sting her cold cheeks.

"I'm sorry Harry; I wish you could live with them too." Hermione sniffed. Ginny clasped her left hand, and Harry grabbed hold of her right. She looked down and saw that Ginny and Harry were still holding hands too.

"Hermione, it's okay. I'm really glad that you found out that Sirius and I are related though. That's the second best thing to happen to me all year." Harry said, smiling weakly at the two girls.

"I'm going to leave you two to it, then. I've still got to go and get everyone's Christmas presents. Have fun, you two." Hermione said, releasing their hands and kissing them both on the cheek.

"Hey, why don't you meet us for lunch in the Broomsticks?" Ginny asked.

"Sure. One thirty?" Ginny and Harry nodded, and Hermione waved at them before walking down the lane briskly. When she got into Hogsmeade, she breathed a sigh of relief. She walked into the sports shop, to buy Harry and Ron's presents. She bought Ron a Broomstick Servicing Kit for his new Cleansweep, and she bought Harry the latest copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_. She handed over the seven Galleons and fifteen Sickles for their presents, and then walked to the next shop, Madam Elise's Witchware. She walked straight to the back, waving to Katie Bell on the way, and thumbed through the lingerie. _It's bloody lucky I remember Ginny's size,_ Hermione thought, as she saw the perfect lace bra and knickers set. They were scarlet and black, and they were deliciously sexy, so she knew Ginny would love them. She thumbed through the rack of lingerie again, and chose an emerald green satin set for herself, thinking about Draco's face when he saw them on her. She paid another two Galleons, eleven Sickles and four Knuts for the lingerie sets.

Hermione glanced at her watch, and sighed. It was twelve thirty, which gave her just under an hour to start looking for a decent present for Draco. She searched her purse. She still had thirty two Galleons, twenty four Sickles and sixteen Knuts, which came as a huge relief, because she'd been saving all of her money since first year, looking for decent bargains when it came to buying presents for her friends and family. Her parents always gave her a present and ten Galleons for birthdays and Christmases, so she received twenty galleons a year from them, though she often converted her muggle birthday money at Gringotts to have a little extra cash.

She sighed and set off at a brisk walk, looking in all the shop windows to see if they had anything especially nice. It was at the fourth shop she looked in that she saw it. It was an incredible ring, solid silver with a stunning Celtic design around the band. It also had a dragon on it, and its wings almost appeared to be beating slightly, as though it were in flight. She looked at the price tag. It was on extreme sale, and was being sold for twenty three Galleons. Hermione shot into the shop and ran up to the counter.

"Excuse me, miss, can I help you?" The old shopkeeper gazed at her with interest.

"Yes please, sir. I was wondering if I could look at the Celtic dragon ring in the window." Hermione replied. He gave her a curt nod and went to fetch it. He handed it over carefully; making sure it was still secure on its tiny velvet cushion.

"I'm surprised, young lady. Nobody has wanted to buy that ring for years. When I first got it, I tried to sell it for seventy Galleons, but not one person wanted to buy it. It's solid silver, you understand, so it was worth every Knut. After a year, when no one bought it, I bumped it down to fifty five Galleons. Six years, I've been lowering the price, because no one wanted it." The old shopkeeper shook his head bemusedly.

Hermione drew her wand. "Do you mind if I examine it for a moment, before I buy it? I just find it odd that a ring this stunning was never bought, and I plan to give it as a gift."

"Fine, do what you must." He watched her carefully as she waved her wand in a circle above the ring. She muttered several complicated incantations before putting her wand away. "Are you done there, miss?"

"Yes, sir, I can't find anything wrong with it, so I'll buy it. However, if I find that there is anything wrong with it, I will expect a refund, and if it harms the person I give it to, I will report you to the Ministry." Hermione said, locking eyes with the shopkeeper. To her intense surprise, he laughed.

"You're fiery, you are. I'm guessing that you're a Gryffindor?" Hermione nodded. "I assure you, there is nothing wrong with that ring. And I tell you what, because you were so thorough in your examination, and you were brave enough to threaten me, I'll bump it down to twenty Galleons for you."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "Well, if you insist, then thank you. I appreciate that very much." She handed over nineteen gold coins, and seventeen silver coins. She held out her hand, and the shopkeeper grinned, putting the ring in a black satin box and handing it over. Hermione thanked him again and walked out of the shop and over to the more popular local pub.

"Hey, Hermione!" Harry yelled. Hermione whirled round. "Wait for us; we'll go in the Broomsticks together." Ginny was jogging behind Harry, carrying a few bags.

"Get all your shopping done?" Ginny asked her as they pushed open the door to the Three Broomsticks. The warm air enveloped them as they walked in, and they chose a quiet table not far from the bar.

"Yeah, and I even found the perfect present for Draco." Hermione beamed. The two girls left Harry with the bags while they got drinks up at the bar.

"Hello, ladies. What can I get you?" Madam Rosmerta, the pretty landlady, was gazing at them expectantly.

"Three Butterbeers, please, two cold, one hot. Could we get three bowls of your chicken and asparagus soup as well please, Rosmerta?" Ginny asked sweetly.

Rosmerta smiled and nodded, her honey coloured curls bouncing. "Of course, and I assume you're with Harry over there?"

Hermione and Ginny both nodded and collected the drinks. Harry grabbed the hot Butterbeer and took a huge swallow. Minutes later, three bowls of hot soup appeared in front of them with a soft pop. Hermione swirled some cream into hers and stirred it. They all ate their soup quietly, often making sounds of contentment, until Hermione's spoon clattered onto the floor. She had just seen Remus and Sirius enter the little pub.

"Remus, Sirius, what on earth are you doing here?" Hermione cried, leaping up to hug the two men.

"Well, I came to see my godson, and Remus was anxious to see you, Hermione. He needs your opinion on you-know-what." Sirius replied, winking a grey eye at her. Hermione grinned, and sat back down, while Ginny and Harry hugged Remus and Sirius.

"What are you talking about, Sirius?" Harry asked. Hermione threw him an expectant look, trying to get him to tell Sirius about their relation.

"Actually, before you say anything, I need to tell you something I discovered yesterday." Hermione began the little tale about how the Potters and Blacks were related, and when Hermione stopped talking, Sirius' smile spread from ear to ear. There was a look in his eyes that was half sad, half ecstatic. Tears began to well in his grey eyes and Hermione dropped her gaze.

"Are you serious? James was my cousin? All that time and we never knew we were cousins." Sirius whispered. He chuckled softly as fat tears slid down his cheeks. "We always did say we were brothers in everything but blood. And yet, we were blood relations all that time."

"Sirius, are you okay?" Remus asked softly, handing him a snow white handkerchief.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Rem. I just wish I could have told him." Sirius replied, squeezing Remus' knee gently, before getting up and hugging Harry tightly. "Well, I have one member of blood family that I'm truly proud of."

"I'm proud of you too, Sirius. And it beats being stuck with the Dursley's for the rest of my life." Harry said, grinning. "Actually, now you're both here, I need to ask you something."

"Harry…" Hermione said warningly. She elbowed Remus and nodded slightly, a gesture which wasn't unnoticed by Harry.

"Hang on; before I ask you two, did you know all this time, Hermione?" Harry asked sharply.

"It's not my business to tell you!" Hermione replied, somewhat coolly. Sirius glanced between his godson and his fiancé's best friend and turned white. He nodded gratefully at Hermione, and she smiled back at him.

"Harry, what did you want to ask us?" Remus asked calmly. He gripped Hermione's hand under the table, and she saw him link his fingers with Sirius under the table on the other side.

"Just after Hermione came back from your place in the holidays…" Hermione interrupted him with a groan. "Hermione let me talk. Just after the holidays, we were at breakfast when she mentioned that you'd given her some chocolate, Remus."

Hermione's eyes flashed to her best friend's face. It wore a mask of complete calm, but she could feel the tension radiating off him. She rubbed his palm with her thumb soothingly, before looking at Sirius. His face wore the same expression Remus' did. Uh oh, she thought, this could go bad. Hermione removed her wand from her pocket and placed it on the table, her pale fingers resting gently on the handle.

"I don't understand what you're getting at here, Harry." Remus said politely.

"Well, we talk about your love for chocolate a fair bit, and Draco wanted to know where it came from. We trust him, so we told him, without divulging the finer points of the story." Remus gripped Hermione's hand tighter as Harry spoke. "And when the tale was over, Draco said something."

"What did he say?" Sirius asked sharply.

"He asked if you two were together, as in, romantically. Neither me, Ron or Ginny knew anything about it, but Hermione looked quite upset, which piqued my curiosity. She insisted that she knew nothing though, so we let it slide. However, I'd like to know the truth, and I'd like to know it now, if that's okay." Harry finished, sounding much too polite. Hermione glared at him as Remus nearly crushed her hand. Sirius looked at Remus, and then looked at Hermione.

"We did want to tell you under better circumstances, actually, without you nosing in. Hermione was quite right not to tell you anything, because we asked her last Christmas not to say anything." Sirius said hollowly. "So thank you, Hermione."

"So not only did you not tell me when I asked you, you've known since last Christmas?" Harry said to Hermione, glaring at her. She felt anger flare within her dangerously.

"Harry James Potter, it was none, and I repeat, _none_, of your business until Remus and Sirius decided to tell you themselves. They asked me to keep it from you, because they didn't know how you would take it. I won't betray any one of my friends, and these two good men are my friends as much as you are, and Ron and Ginny. If you've got a problem with that, Harry, then honestly, _fuck you_. I'm going back to the castle. Talk to me when you're not going to be an arsehole." Hermione said venomously.

Harry's eyes bulged nearly out of his head. "Hermione, wait! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have rounded on you like that, and I was just upset that you didn't tell me. Hang on; don't yell at me again, I know you had every right to keep it from me. Remus, Sirius, I'm happy for you. Really, I am. I just wish you would have told me sooner, though, so you didn't have to hide it from me."

Hermione removed her cloak and sat back down. "Right. So you're not going to be a git anymore?"

"No, I won't. I'm sorry, all of you. Is there anything else I should know, now?" Harry asked quietly.

Sirius grinned mischievously. "Yeah, Remus is pregnant. We're expecting twin cubs." He burst into raucous laughter at the look of shock on Harry's face. "I'm joking! No, but seriously, I asked Rem to marry me a few months back."

Ginny clapped and laughed happily. "Oh, congratulations, both of you, I'm so happy for you. When is it?"

"Well, hopefully as soon as we can find someone who will agree to it." Sirius said quietly. "But you're more than welcome to come. You'll even get a front row seat!"

"Thanks, Sirius!" Ginny laughed. She looked at her watch. "Come on, you two, you're coming to the castle with us. I think I know who will marry you."

Hermione pulled on her cloak again, and picked up her bags. She shrunk them and put them in her pockets. Sirius stopped her and gave her a small box. When she opened it, she was delighted to see a scarlet woollen scarf with a matching beanie hat. She gave him a huge hug and put them on, following the others out of the pub. When they were outside, Remus linked an arm with Hermione and grinned. He waved his wand, and suddenly, the frosty path became a yellow brick road, leading back to the castle.

"Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow the Yellow Brick Road.  
>Follow, follow, follow, follow,<br>Follow the Yellow Brick Road.  
>Follow the Yellow Brick, Follow the Yellow Brick,<br>Follow the Yellow Brick Road.

We're off to see the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  
>You'll find he is a whiz of a Wiz! If ever a Wiz! there was.<br>If ever oh ever a Wiz! there was The Wizard of Oz is one because,  
>Because, because, because, because, because.<br>Because of the wonderful things he does.  
>We're off to see the Wizard. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" Hermione and Remus sang together, skipping up the yellow brick road. He had a wonderful deep baritone voice, and he really could sing, much to Hermione's delight. Their singing created a lovely harmony, and the carried on singing until they were halfway up to the castle, where they stopped.<p>

"Hermione, I'd really like to say thank you. I mean, not only for keeping the secret, but for being completely non-judgemental, and always being there for me." Remus said, before enveloping Hermione into a tight hug.

"Remus, honestly, what are friends for? You're there for me as much, if not more, than I am for you, and you are the only friend I have that will put up with my talking about books. So really, thank you." Hermione said, moving out of his embrace, but still holding his hand. And they waited like that for ten minutes, while Sirius, Harry and Ginny caught up to them.

"What was that about?" Harry laughed when the five Gryffindors were finally reunited.

"We just felt like it." Remus and Hermione replied simultaneously.

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><p><strong>What did you think? Drop me a review, because the fuel my passion. ;)<strong>

**Lottie.**


	26. Discoveries

**Hey you guys. I'm so glad that you're enjoying the fic so far, and I hope I can continue to keep you happy. :) This chapter's challenge words are from the amazing unimaginablyevilguycalledbob, who continues to give me wicked challenge words, which are always great fun to work with.**

**Oh sweet mother of Merlin, I've realised that I only have four chapters left of this fic, which I hope to try and wrap up before I go back to school for 6th Form in nine days. I'm going to work hard on them, I swear. I think I might include an epilogue as well, so make that 5 chapters.**

**Anyways, Enjoy.**

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><p>Draco was walking up the stairs to the entrance hall when he heard Ginny's voice speaking quickly and quietly. Casting a Disillusionment Charm on himself, he snuck forward and caught up to the red-haired girl, and not to his surprise, Hermione was walking alongside her. Their arms were linked again, and suddenly Ginny giggled.<p>

"It's not funny, Ginevra Weasley! I read up on it, and apparently it's not a learned thing." Hermione said dejectedly.

"Well it's not! Honestly, Hermione, you worry too much. Have you done it before?"

"Yes, and he seemed to like it, but I want it to be _better_." Draco deduced that they were talking about him, and something that Hermione had done to him before… _what are they talking about, I wonder?_

"If he liked it, why are you still worrying about it?" Ginny asked impatiently.

"Ugh, Ginny, I just want it to be better for him, you know? I'd never done it before him." Hermione's voice broke on the last word, and Draco felt a deep sense of loathing settle within him. He'd stolen her virginity? At that point, he couldn't have hated himself more.

To his shock, Ginny laughed and stopped. She wrapped her slender, milky arms around the curly haired girl. "Hermione, there are three steps that you need to know to be able to be able to make him heel."

"He's not a dog!"

"Whatever, do you want my advice or not? Right, well, firstly, I'm going to tell you to relax and stop freaking out. It'll be fine, love. And if you're really, desperately worried then listen to the three steps. Step one: lick. Step two: suck. Step three: swallow." Ginny said quietly, and then she winked naughtily, when Hermione gasped in shock.

"Ginny!" Hermione scolded her lightly, but with an amused smirk on her face.

The girls started walking again, and Draco gazed at them in shock. They weren't talking about sex, but about blow-jobs. He had enjoyed it when Hermione when she had done it to him, more than he could say, but yet she didn't think it was good enough? He was stunned. He ghosted towards them and caught Ginny's next words.

"Or you know, you could just ask Rem. Or perhaps Sirius, he'd be more likely to spill his dirty little secrets. All last summer he was trying to offer me advice. Not that I particularly wanted, nor needed it." Ginny laughed, and Draco ducked in an alcove to remove the charm, making him fully visible again. He jogged to catch up with them, and put an arm around Hermione's shoulders, making her jump violently.

"Good morning, ladies. How was Hogsmeade yesterday?" He said, bending to kiss Hermione's cheek.

"Morning, Draco. It was great, Hermione got all her Christmas shopping done, and we met Remus and Sirius in the Broomsticks. Harry interrogated them and had a go at Hermione, and then Remus and Sirius _finally_ admitted that they're together and the fact that they're engaged. I actually thought Hermione was going to hex him at one stage. Anyways, what were you doing yesterday that was more important than going to Hogsmeade?" Ginny replied brightly, though narrowing her eyes at him during the last question.

"Making Hermione's present and ordering everyone else's." Draco sighed. "Can we go and eat?"

"Sure," said Hermione, dragging him and Ginny along with her over to Gryffindor table. When they sat down in their usual seats, Draco started to laugh. Harry had just finished telling Ron about Remus and Sirius' engagement, and Ron had started choking on the huge mouthful of bacon he had been eating at the time.

"Oh for goodness sake, Harry, you have to stop telling him big news when he's eating! You may think it's funny to watch him choke, but for heaven's sake, this is ridiculous. Anapneo," said Hermione crossly, pointing her wand at Ron's throat, which had evidently just cleared, as he gasped in a shuddering breath. "And I tell you what you two should find extremely funny: Harry, your grandmother is Draco's great aunt. Chew on that."

"What? I don't have a great aunt. I have a great uncle, Orion Black, but he's been dead for nearly twenty years." Draco said. Harry was currently choking on his pumpkin juice.

Hermione waved her wand, and Harry was able to breathe again. "Remember yesterday, I told you that Sirius was your second cousin, Harry? Because Orion had a sister that didn't really belong in the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, due to her being born out of wedlock. Basically, Draco, Orion's sister was Harry's grandmother. Harry's father was Sirius' cousin, like your mother. And that makes you second cousins, of a sort. You two are related!"

Harry and Draco were both looking at each other with mingled shock, horror and slight joy. Meanwhile, Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Neville Longbottom had fallen about laughing. Neville had caught Hermione's little speech, and he was howling with laughter, while Ginny was wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Oh my god, I'm related to the Malfoys!" Harry said with mild disgust.

"Oi, watch whose family you're talking about, there!" Draco said indignantly.

"Harry, Draco has an aunt named Andromeda who was -" Ginny started but she was interrupted.

"Disowned for marrying a mudblood," Draco finished for her.

"Ted Tonks, with whom she had a daughter…" Hermione said softly, flashing a grin at Ginny, who caught on.

"A metamorphagus daughter called Nymphadora Tonks. Harry, you're related to Tonks!" Ginny finished happily. In reply, Harry's jaw dropped open.

"Merlin, I've been related to Potter all these years!" Draco said, stunned, while Harry was busy trying to recover from learning that he had a whole new set of family members. "I'm so not telling my parents though, can you imagine? No, I'm keeping this to myself. You might want to tell my cousin, though, Nymphadora."

Hermione kissed his cheek, and stared up at him, frowning slightly. "You know you have the same eyes as Sirius. Grey eyes that are famous in the House of Black. I must say, you took that awfully well."

"Thanks, petal. So, on a different note, what did you get me for Christmas?" Draco grinned and kissed her lips quickly.

"Not saying," murmured Hermione around his lips.

"Please? Pretty please, Hermione, my darling petal?" Draco asked sweetly, cupping her face in his hands. She grinned at him, and met his gaze. After about a minute, she blew into his face, making him jump.

"That would be a no, honey." Hermione said, smirking as he playfully pouted. Draco flashed a grin at her, and then cut some bacon and speared some scrambled eggs with his fork, catching the bacon on the fork as well. He raised the fork to his lips, and then dragged the food off it with his teeth. He chewed the buttery eggs and the salty bacon thoughtfully, his mind returning again to his familial relationship with Harry. _All this time, Merlin, my parents will go mad when they hear it. _

"Draco? Are you okay, there?" Ginny said, her voice penetrating the fog of thought that had filled his brain.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." Draco replied. "Listen, I've got to go, I've got a free period first lesson, and I really should get started on my Transfiguration essay."

"But it's Sunday, so actually, you have all day free. _And_ it's not due until next Friday!" Ron said loudly, with a shocked expression on his face.

"Oh yeah, it is. Oh well, I'll feel better knowing it's out of the way, and then I can put my time to better use." He winked at Ginny, waved to the boys and kissed Hermione softly and oh-so sweetly. When he finally, and regretfully, broke their kiss, Hermione looked as though she were going to throw herself at him there and then. He bent down to whisper in her ear. "I'll see you later, I promise."

Hermione shivered when Draco quickly kissed her on her neck, just below her ear. He threw another grin at his Gryffindor friends and walked swiftly out of the Great Hall and down the stairs into the dungeons. He muttered the password to the wall, and dropped himself into a comfortable chair in front of an ebony table. He fished a scroll of parchment out of his bag, and took out his ink pot and eagle-feather quill. As an afterthought, he pulled his Transfiguration book from his bag as well, and set it in front of him.

After nearly two and a half hours of writing, Draco had finished his foot-long essay. He put his name and the date at the top of the parchment, and returned it to his bag. Draco flexed his pale fingers, which throbbed harshly. In his wand hand, as well, so he couldn't perform the simple healing spell necessary to fix his sore fingers. He flexed them again and winced.

"How the hell am I going to finish making that bloody pendant for Hermione if I can barely move my fingers?" Draco muttered angrily to himself. He jumped violently when Theo kicked his chair.

"Easy, mate. I'll cast the healing charm. I assume it's the fingers of your wand hand that are hurt?"

"Theo! I see you're healed enough to kick things. And you assume correctly. Want to fix my hand, now?" Draco said sarcastically, but flashing a friendly grin to his friend. He felt his fingers grow warm and tingly, and when the feeling had departed, he flexed his hand again. Thankfully, his hand was back to normal. "Thanks for that. Anyways, it's good to see you out of the hospital. How much money did you slip in Pomfrey's apron?"

Theo scowled, and Draco smirked back at him. "None, surprisingly, though I thought I might have had to cough up in the end. Anyways, what's this pendant I heard you muttering about?"

"Hermione's Christmas present. I had the idea ages ago, when we first got together. Matching pendants that whenever we touch them in a certain place, we can communicate telepathically."

"You're such a fucking girl, Drake, honestly. So how much do you have to do?" Theo laughed, but his eyes held a hint of concern, which Draco was grateful for.

"Loads, seriously, it's much harder than I thought it would be. I got the gold fine. Making the test pendants, I mean, that was fiddly, and annoying, and it took me a couple of weeks, but that was completely fine. No, it's the bloody spells. They're a bitch to figure out, Theo, honestly. I can get them to heat up when touched, so that it's an indication that the owner of one pendant is trying to talk to the other, but that's all I've figured out so far. I've got just over a month to get this done, and that's including three weeks to make decent pendants before I can charm them. This is so much harder than I thought it would be." Draco said, blurting out all of his frustration, and then finally letting his head fall forward onto the ebony table with a slightly sickening crack.

"And you didn't tell me and Blaise, why? Nor did you ask any teachers for help. Come on, it's all well and good complaining, but the sooner you can get the spells figured out, the better. You have the heat spell down to pat, so that's one thing. All you need is a complex enough communication spell that can be tweaked a little bit. If we could figure out the spell that's in Blaise's magic mirrors for example, we could just alter them a little to make them specific to mind on mind communication, but not like Legilimency, where people can openly sift through your thoughts. No, we need to be able to send and receive whichever thoughts we want to, not just root them out. Hmm. Let me have a chat with Blaise. We'll get this done between the three of us."

"Are you serious? You two will help me?"

"Of course we will, and Blaise won't have a bloody choice. Anyways, now that Blaise finally has both mirrors back, we can try and figure out what spells are imbued in them to make the link between them. I'll go find him then, shall I? We'll meet you in the library in, say, an hour?" Theo said, clapping Draco on the shoulder.

"Yeah, um, thanks Theo. I really appreciate this." Draco said, throwing his arms around his very stunned friend's shoulders.

"No worries. I expect a decent Christmas present though."

"How about I set you up with Daphne?" Draco smirked.

"Daphne? Daphne Greengrass? Oh mate, that would be wicked. And if not, I want a year's supply of chocolate frogs." Theo said, and his face had lit up with hope. Theo had been in love with Daphne Greengrass for years.

"Done." Draco replied smugly. He happened to be one of Daphne's closest friends, because although she was beautiful and incredibly smart, she was also rather icy, and rarely let anyone break down her walls. Draco was one of the few who had been let in, and she had told him a lot of her deepest and darkest secrets. He was sure that he could convince her to have at least one date with Theo.

Theo grinned and walked off to go and find Blaise.

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><p>The next day, during dinner, while the Slytherin boys dorms were empty, Blaise, Theo and Draco were all sat on Draco's bed, surrounded by various books and notes written on parchment.<p>

"Ha, I think I've found it!" Theo yelled triumphantly. "I had to nick this from the restricted section of the library, mind. However, this is the enchantment placed on the mirrors. You take Arithmancy, right, Drake? So you can tweak the formulae and edit the finer points of the spell."

"Do you have all of the formulae of the spell there, though?"

"Yeah, but it's in runes. Can you translate them?" Blaise asked, looking over Theo's shoulder into the old book.

"Um, I can give it a shot, I think. I gave up the Runes last year, but don't you still take it, Blaise?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, we'll figure this out, mate." Blaise replied.

"We're in this together now. You two get on that." Theo said.

"Oh, and what'll you be doing?" Draco asked.

"I'll be getting as many books as I can from the library. You two are going to need as much help as possible. You know, we could have Granger's head on this if this weren't for her." Theo said, somewhat bitterly.

"Oh shut up, Theo. Don't worry Draco, I'll get translating. You make a start on making the actual pendants, and then once I've done the translations, you can edit the formulae and test the spell on the rudimentary pendants." Blaise said, clapping his friend on the shoulder gently, and then hitting the books.

Draco had never been more grateful for his friends, and mentally swore that he would return the favour whenever they needed it.

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><p><strong>Did you like it? I think it's high time that Draco's friends really, truly helped them out.<strong>

**Drop me reviews and challenge words, and a few suggestions on how you'd like to see this story end, because without you guys, this fic would suck.**

**Lottie. :)**


	27. The Bet Stands

**Hey you lovely people. Thanks for the reviews, I love 'em. I'd like to say, if I have any American readers, I hope none of you were hit by Hurricane Irene, and if you were, I hope you came out of it okay.**

**So, I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

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><p>Over the next couple of weeks, Hermione barely saw Draco outside of lessons. He didn't sit with the Gryffindors for breakfast, and she only saw him once or twice over at the Slytherin table. Harry had taken it upon himself to apologise every time Hermione peered over at Slytherin's table.<p>

"Harry, it's not your fault. Honestly, how many times?" Hermione said wearily, patting his arm soothingly.

"I know, Hermione, but it was only after you revealed that we were related that he started becoming so distant."

"He's probably just busy. He said he's been making Hermione's present. Oh, that reminds me; he told me to tell you that he's staying here for Christmas, Hermione." Ginny said, sneaking a sideways glance at Hermione.

"When did he tell you all that, Gin?" Harry asked, frowning.

"I took a late-night stroll last night, and I bumped into him on the Charms corridor. I cornered him, basically. I made him tell me why he's avoiding us lot, and he spilled." Ginny replied triumphantly. Hermione's heart lifted in return. She heard Professor McGonagall's voice over at the Hufflepuff table, and she turned to see what was going on. She soon realised that McGonagall was handing around the scroll of parchment that was bearing students names – those that were staying for the holiday.

"Good morning, you four. Are any of you planning to stay for the Christmas holiday?" McGonagall asked, stopping behind Harry. Hermione didn't miss the fact that she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and she felt her brow furrow slightly.

"Good morning, Professor. It's only me staying this year, Professor. The rest of them are staying at the Burrow." Hermione answered, gazing up at her Head of House, and then swiftly adding her name to the list. She saw Draco's handwriting at the very top of the list, and she grinned.

"Ah, good, I was afraid that only Mr Malfoy would be doing any prefect duties this holiday. No other prefects want to stay, and our Head Girl, Miss Fawcett is going home, too. I haven't seen Mr Bentley this morning. Anyhow, it's nice to have at least two prefects stay at Hogwarts to help with patrols. I've heard an alarming number of party plans today alone – all for the Christmas period. Needless to say, the teachers shall need your help, Miss Granger."

"Yes, Professor, I'd be glad to." Hermione said, and she received a very rare smile from the strict Transfiguration teacher, before she moved away with a swish of her tartan cloak.

"Er, Hermione, are you forgetting something?" Ron said around a mouthful of toast.

"What…? Oh, shit! I didn't tell your parents I'm not staying. I told my mum months ago. Ah crap, I didn't even tell Sirius and Remus that I'm not going to the Burrow. I'm going to miss the big announcement!" Hermione groaned, and let her head flop forward onto the table with a dull thud.

"Yeah, you – hold on, Dumbledore will probably be there, won't he? So you can just ask him if you can go for the announcement with him. That way, you can drop off all the presents, see Sirius and Remus, and still be at school for Christmas! Go on, he's at the Head Table, you may as well ask him now!" Harry said, standing up, picking Hermione up by her waist and pushing her towards the Head Table.

"Thanks, Harry." Hermione said, hugging him quickly before walking briskly towards the old headmaster. She felt many pairs of eyes on her as she stopped before Dumbledore, but he smiled widely at her, his bright blue eyes twinkling happily.

"Good morning, Miss Granger. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Hermione gulped nervously. "Good morning, sir. I would actually like to ask you a favour, if that's okay."

"I don't see why you can't ask me. Whether I can help you or not, I do not know. Shall we proceed to my office? That way, we shall be away from prying ears." Dumbledore said quietly, winking at her.

Hermione felt a blush creep up her cheeks. "Er, yes, sir, that would be lovely. What time would you like me to come by?"

"Why, now of course, Miss Granger! Come, come, we shall go now," said Dumbledore, and Hermione nodded, following him down the Great Hall. Almost everyone in the Hall was staring at Hermione with confused expressions on their faces. Only her three best friends gave her encouraging smiles.

"Liquorice Snaps," said Dumbledore to the Gargoyle that stood guard outside his office. The gargoyle bowed and stepped aside, revealing the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office. When they entered the large, circular room, Dumbledore motioned for her to sit in the chair in front of his desk, while he sat in the large gilded… well, it looked rather like a throne, in Hermione's opinion. "So, Miss Granger, what is it you wanted to ask?"

"Well, sir, I put my name down to stay here for Christmas, but I completely forgot about Moony and Padfoot's announcement on Christmas Eve at the Burrow. Harry told me that you'd probably be going to it, so I wondered if perhaps I could come with you. Only Re- I mean, Moony, is one of my best friends, and I really want to see how it goes. Not to mention, I have an awful lot of presents to give, this year." Hermione said in a rush.

"Hmm. I wasn't planning on going, actually, Miss Granger, but of course, I could apparate you to Padfoot's home in the morning, and you could go with them? Or you could go straight to the Burrow, if you wish." Dumbledore said lightly. "Chocolate Frog?"

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Would you like a Chocolate Frog, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked again.

"Oh, er, yes please. Um, if it's okay, could I go straight to the Burrow? But how would I get back Professor, because I sort of wanted to spend Christmas Day here, with… well, never mind." Hermione said, trailing off lamely.

"Well, of course, I would be glad to open the Floo connection to Gryffindor Common Room for an hour, between 12 and 1am on Christmas morning. Oh, and I'm perfectly aware of your relationship with Mr Malfoy." Dumbledore said, making Hermione blush again.

"Well, thank you, sir. I thoroughly appreciate this."

"Not at all, Miss Granger, just consider it a Christmas present of sorts."

"Thank you, sir. I should probably go to Potions now." Hermione said. Dumbledore inclined his head towards her, and she grinned back at him, leaving the office. She checked her watch and saw that she only had ten minutes to get to Potions, and she still had to get her bag from her dormitory. She broke into a run up towards Gryffindor Tower and shot into her dorm room like a bullet, grabbing her bag, making sure her books and equipment were in it before tearing back down the stairs and down to the dungeons. She only just managed to make it into the Potions classroom before Slughorn waddled through the door.

"Where have you been? You're late!" Draco hissed, when she threw herself into her seat. He kissed her cheek when Slughorn's back was turned.

"No, if Slughorn had walked in here before I had, I would have been late. As it is, I was with Dumbledore," whispered Hermione, while she pulled out all of her books. She squeezed Draco's hand quickly, and flashed him a sparkling grin.

"Right, so today, we shall be brewing the Draught of Wealth. Who can tell me what it does?" Hermione's hand shot up. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"The Draught of Wealth gives you extreme luck with all of your financial endeavours. The only thing it can't do is provide you riches from nothing. Furthermore, it is very tricky to make, and it has to be consumed within 24 hours of brewing or it will have absolutely no effect on the drinker." Hermione said eagerly.

"Correct, Miss Granger, ten points to Gryffindor. Right, we will be brewing it today, seeing as we have a double lesson, and the pair with the best Draught of Wealth will receive a special prize." Slughorn boomed happily. "Right, ready, set, go!"

Draco dashed to the store cupboard to get the ingredients, while Hermione lit a fire underneath the large pewter cauldron. When he got back to their work-bench, Hermione started to cut the Daisy roots with her silver dagger. Draco added pickled bat's wings and then stirred clockwise four times and counter-clockwise twice. Hermione dropped the Daisy roots into the cauldron and stirred in a figure 8 pattern, as instructed. For the next hour, they added ingredients and stirred in the various patterns needed before letting it simmer for the final twelve minutes. At the end of the simmering, Hermione pulled out one hair from her head and then reached over and ripped another hair from Draco's head.

"_Ouch_, what was that for?" Draco hissed angrily.

"We need a hair from the head of the person brewing the potion. Since there are two of us doing the potion, I need one hair from both of us. I'm going to braid them really quickly and then add them. By the time we're done, it should have a… gold vapour issuing from it." Hermione replied absently, braiding the two hairs together and dropping them in. Hermione stirred it counter-clockwise three times, and then looked at the potion. After nearly ten seconds, a gold vapour began to spiral from the surface of the potion. Draco nudged Hermione, and he was beaming. When Slughorn came around and declared them the winners, Hermione threw her arms around Draco's neck and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

Slughorn gave them a box each of Honeydukes Finest Christmas Chocolates, and congratulated them. Hermione was grinning from ear to ear, and she cleared away her equipment happily. When the bell rang out, signalling the end of their double-lesson, Draco made to run off before Hermione could see. However, he didn't expect her to reach out a hand, and wrap her fingers tightly around his wrist, which is exactly what she did.

"Where are you going?" She demanded, her happy mood vanishing.

"I… er, I need to go, Hermione." He said, trying to wriggle free of her grip.

"No. You're not going anywhere, Draco Lucius Malfoy. I've barely seen you outside of lessons in the past three weeks and I want to know why. I'm sick of you avoiding me. Tell me what's going on, right now, or I'll steal some Veritaserum from Slughorn and spike your morning pumpkin juice with it," said Hermione menacingly.

"You wouldn't dare, Hermione!" Draco said, and he was evidently shocked.

"Oh yeah, try me!" Hermione said indignantly. "What is going on?"

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you. I've been making your Christmas present. I had to place a few charms on the thing I made for you, but the spells needed tweaking a bit, but I had to translate the formulae from Runes first, before I could change the spell, and I've not got much left to do. I've sort of been avoiding you to do it, because I didn't want to let too much slip. It's taken me ages to do it. I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll see you at dinner, my petal." Draco said, wriggling out of Hermione's grip.

"Oh, Draco, I'm sorry. I'll see you later. Hey, wait." Hermione threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I love you."

He smiled down at her, and kissed her forehead. "I love you too, my petal."

Hermione watched him go, and picked up her bag, heading to Ancient Runes. She smiled softly as she walked to the Fifth Floor to her class, and she settled in her seat happily, half-raising her hand in greeting to Blaise, who sat two seats down. He waved back at her happily and got up, sitting in the seat next to her instead.

"Er, Blaise? What's up?" Hermione asked, confused that he wanted to sit next to her.

"Cornered Drake yet?"

"Yeah, I did it this morning, in Potions. Didn't you see?"

Blaise smiled at her quickly. "No, I was the first to leave the class. I wanted to go back to the dorms for a second. I had to check… er, something."

Hermione sighed. "Yeah… just _something_, right? I should have known that you would be in on it, Blaise. Draco quit Runes last year, but he mentioned translations for a spell."

"Of course I'm in on it. Thank Merlin that I only a couple of weeks and then he's out of my hair. Anyways, I should go, I just wanted to chat."

"Er, okay. Talk to you later, then." Hermione replied. She felt more confused than ever when Blaise walked back over to his own desk and flopped down into his chair, grinning like an idiot. However, Professor Babbling chose that moment to clear her throat sternly and begin teaching the lesson. For once though, her curiosity distracted her from her learning, and she found herself fidgeting, and completely unable to focus on the runes that Professor Babbling was teaching them that day. Finally, she put her hand up.

"Yes, Miss Granger? Did you want to try and translate that rune?" Babbling turned to her, narrowing her large blue eyes, and swiping a stray strand of jet-black hair from her face.

"Er, no Professor. I'm afraid that I'm no feeling well, so I was wondering if I could go to the hospital wing." Hermione said. The professor's face softened, because not once in Hermione's time in her class had the girl asked to be excused from the lesson.

"Of course you can go, Miss Granger. However, you'll have to get some notes from a classmate later."

"Yes, Professor, thank you." Hermione said, getting up and putting her books, parchment and quill in her bag. She walked out of the class, and she could swear she felt Blaise's eyes on her back the whole way.

Hermione did as she told her teacher and went to see Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing. She knocked on the door to Pomfrey's small office and waited to hear the stern voice instructing her to enter. Instead, Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat quietly from behind her, and she jumped.

"Good morning, Miss Granger. What can I help you with?" The Healer spoke softly, with a voice full of concern. Hermione was surprised; normally the Healer was sharp and stern and had very little time to spare for a simple chat.

"Er, I've been a little distracted today, and I'm not quite sure why."

"Right, well is there anything that's been bothering you recently?"

"There was, but it was all fully resolved this morning. I can describe it, I just can't focus on anything, and my mind's running in circles around me. Is there anything you can give me that might help, Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione pleaded, while Pomfrey frowned.

"You're the fourth student this week to come to me about it, and I have a feeling that there are quite a few more students that are experiencing the same and not coming to me. I think you might just be overworked, Miss Granger. I know that you especially are the type to stress out over your schoolwork. Just take a break. I can prescribe you a calming draught, or a focussing solution, but you can't have both, because they'll cancel each other out." Madam Pomfrey said, gazing at her, and giving her the distinct feeling that she was being thoroughly, though subtly, examined.

"Oh, er, I'll have the calming draught if you think I'm just overworked. Thanks, Madam Pomfrey. I'll just head back to class then." Hermione said, standing up.

"Oh no you don't, you'll go back to your Common Room and _relax_. You can't go out, because it's far too cold, but you will go to your Common Room, and I'll get one of the elves to take you up a hot chocolate and a snack. Don't look at me like that, Hermione, the elves are happy to help anyone in Hogwarts, whether it be student or teacher. Go on, go back to Gryffindor Tower." Madam Pomfrey finally flashed a stern look, and pushed Hermione towards the doors of the hospital.

Hermione walked through the corridors listlessly, still feeling incredibly distracted._ Maybe she's wrong, maybe I'm not overworked._ She shook herself and gave the password to the Fat Lady. Hermione climbed through the portrait hole and settled in her favourite squashy armchair by the fire. No sooner had she curled her legs under her, had a house elf popped by her side, holding a tray that had a huge mug of steaming hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream and cocoa powder. Next to the big mug was a plate with a large quantity of cookies and chocolate brownies.

"Oh, thank you so much, it all looks delightful!" Hermione said to the house-elf sincerely as the elf placed the tray on the small table next to the chair.

"You are too kinds to me, Miss. If there is anything elses you needs, please come to us elves. We will gets you anything you needs, miss!" The elf squeaked back, then gave a deep, almost painful looking curtsey and disappeared with a small pop.

Hermione felt her face twist into revulsion at the look of pure happiness on the elf's face, just for serving Hermione a mug of hot chocolate and various snacks. She reached out and grabbed a white chocolate and blueberry cookie and bit into it. It was still warm, and had a delightful buttery taste. She moaned quietly, it was the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted. After finishing the large cookie in three more bites, she took a deep drink of the hot chocolate, smiling when it slipped down her throat easily. She felt the tickle of the whipped cream at the corner of her mouth and let her tongue flick out and capture the sweet foam.

"Alright there, Hermione?" Ginny said, flinging herself down on the couch opposite Hermione. She reached out and grabbed one of the brownies, biting into it delicately.

"Ginny? What on earth are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be in class?" Hermione asked.

"I should, but I couldn't focus, so I got sent to Pomfrey, and she told me to come up here."

Hermione stopped chewing on her third cookie and stared at Ginny. She swallowed warily. "You too? I got into Runes and found that I couldn't focus on a thing."

"Yeah, Pomfrey mentioned you were feeling it. I got into Herbology and thought it was the new fertiliser Sprout was testing that was making me ill, but on the way up here, it was still just as bad. I've been feeling it since this morning in Snape's class. It got ten points taken from me, but then second lesson in Care of Magical Creatures, I was still feeling rough. Finally, in Herbology, I just decided to go to the hospital." Ginny said with a sigh, taking another bite from the brownie, and grinning slightly.

"Hmm," murmured Hermione thoughtfully.

"I could do with one of those hot chocolates." Ginny said. A second later, the same house-elf appeared with another enormous mug filled to the brim with hot chocolate. "Woah, thanks very much! It looks great."

The tiny elf curtseyed again and vanished. Hermione watched Ginny take a long drink of the hot chocolate and lick the cream from her top lip. "So I cornered Draco."

"So is he going to come back and sit with us now?"

"Not just yet, I don't think. Still finishing my present, he said. Oh, and you'll be seeing me on Christmas Eve, by the way. Dumbledore's dropping me off at yours, and I'll be staying until around 12-ish. I have to get back here before 1am, or the tower will get cut back off from the Floo network." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. Ginny, on the other hand, squealed.

"So you'll see the announcement! I reckon mum will go just about insane, and then after the shock's worn off, she'll try and plan every last second of the wedding."

"I'll bet you a Galleon she bursts into tears." Hermione muttered, smirking.

"You're on! I've still got some birthday money left over from what Charlie and Bill gave me. Bill's doing really well, so he set me up a Gringotts account with twenty Galleons in it, and Charlie gave me five Galleons and a really cool Dragon tooth necklace. Anyways, yeah, the bet stands." Ginny said, shaking Hermione's hand firmly.

"Brilliant," said Hermione brightly. She was looking forward to winning against Ginny for once.

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><p><strong>You like? I still want to hear any and all suggetions for the end of this fic, and I want challenge words, too.<strong>

**See you at the next update!**

**Lottie.**


	28. Bound

**Hello my lovelies. Thanks again to my beautiful reviewers: honestly, you guys keep me going. I'm feeling a little morose at the moment, knowing I only really have three updates left on this fic before I'm done, so I'm going to try and make it the best, with definite smut on the cards soon.**

**So, enjoy.**

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><p>Two days before Christmas break, Draco finished the pendants. He punched the air in triumph and gave his pendant to Theo.<p>

"Try it on, I want to see if it really works," said Draco, fastening Hermione's pendant around his neck and touched it. He focussed, and sent a thought to Theo. _Hey, Theo, you there mate?_

_Yeah, er, I'm here. Sweet mother of Merlin, I can hear you in my head! This is seriously fucking cool._

_I'm glad it worked. Right, think something at me that I definitely wouldn't know._

_Vivinia Marco's pubes are shaved in the shape of a snake._

_Merlin's balls! Are they _really?_ That's serious devotion to our House._

"I know. It was hilarious; it looked as though the snake was moving when I shagged her." Theo said triumphantly.

"Er, right. Thanks for that vivid image," replied Draco, wincing slightly. He did _not_ need to hear about Theo's sexual encounters. "Alright, give me the necklace, so I can wrap them up."

Theo handed back the pendant a little reluctantly, and watched with interest as Draco shut both pendants in the drawer and magically locked them, whispering 'petal', almost inaudibly. When he rose, he caught his reflection in the mirror, and saw that he was grinning from ear to ear. He checked his watch and saw that it was 7:30, so he combed his hair quickly, cast a freshening charm on himself and his clothes and dashed up the stairs to the Great Hall. He walked quickly up to Gryffindor table and sat down opposite Hermione, next to Ginny.

"Hey, you lot. How are you?" Draco said, grinning again. He watched with delight as Hermione's face lit up, and walked around the table to throw her arms around his neck and squeeze him to death. When Hermione finally went back to her seat, Ginny stood up and hugged him, and Draco grinned when her flowery scent enveloped him. Ron shook his hand, but Harry remained stony-faced.

"What the fuck were you playing at? Hermione waited for you every morning, and she was desperate for every lesson she shared with you, because she'd get to see you again. You've virtually ignored her for a month. How dare you?" Harry said venomously. He put his cutlery together and crossed his arms, staring daggers into Draco.

"Harry, I explained myself to both Hermione and Ginny. I'm sorry if that wasn't enough. However, I've finished the… what I made, so I'm back." Draco replied coolly. Harry hesitated for a moment, blushed and then mumbled something unintelligible. "What did you say? I didn't hear you."

"I said that I'm sorry and I didn't mean to be a dick." Harry said quietly, looking apologetic, but refusing to meet his gaze.

"It's all right." Draco said, and Harry's head snapped up. "I'm glad you can speak your mind, and I'm even happier that you're there to defend Hermione. I really am sorry for ignoring all of you, I honestly didn't mean to. However, my… let's call it my project, shall we? It was extremely complex, and I had some trouble focussing enough to finish the last part of it, so it took a while longer than I expected it to."

"Draco, honestly, it's okay. I'm just glad you're here now. We all are, believe it or not." Hermione said softly, reaching across the table to cover Draco's hand with hers. Her hand was warm and soft, and his skin tingled as she touched it. "Hang on; did you just say you had trouble focussing?"

"Er, yeah, I did. Why do you ask?" Draco asked. He felt confusion settle within him, as Hermione and Ginny shared a worried glance.

"Draco, Hermione and I were both excused from classes today due to extreme lack of focus. The teachers have been thinking that we're ill." Ginny said quietly, exchanging another glance with Hermione. Draco's confusion settled deeper.

"I don't understand."

"I'm afraid, however, that I do, Mr Malfoy. Would you, Miss Weasley and Miss Granger accompany me to my office please?" Professor Dumbledore said from behind Harry. Both Hermione and Ginny jumped._ They mustn't have seen him coming_, Draco thought. He felt himself nod, and rose from his seat. Ginny did the same, and they turned to Hermione, who used Ron's shoulder to steady herself as she too rose from the bench. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harry rise too, but Dumbledore shook his head. "No, Harry, I do not need you today."

Draco watched as Harry sat back down, looking thoroughly disappointed.

Once seated in front of Dumbledore's desk, Draco laced his fingers with Hermione, and saw that Ginny had done the same. He tried not to smile at that. Draco cleared his throat. "Professor, if there any chance you could tell us what exactly is going on?"

"Ah, yes, Mr Malfoy. Before I begin, however, Liquorice Snap?"

"Excuse me, sir?" Ginny spluttered.

"Would any of you three like a Liquorice Snap?" The three students shook their heads. "I assume that none of you have forgotten Mr Malfoy and Miss Weasley had linked dreams two months ago?" Again, they shook their heads, though Draco had a deep sense of foreboding creep through him.

"I was the link between them. But what does the lack of focus between all three of us have anything to do with those odd dreams?" Hermione asked.

"Everything, I think."

"You think? Surely it would be better that you were certain before telling us this?" Draco exclaimed.

"Draco, can you do us a favour, and shut up. I want to hear what Professor Dumbledore has to say. I'm sorry sir, please continue." Ginny chimed brightly.

"Thank you, Ginevra." Ginny pulled a face, resulting in a happy chuckle from Dumbledore. "Somebody placed a curse on Hermione."

"_What?"_ Draco and Ginny yelled simultaneously, both leaping to their feet.

"It affected those closest to her, emotionally. It is designed to make those people doubt her, and start to distance themselves from her. Someone 'has it out' for her. I think that's the phrase, isn't it? Yes, well, after the dreams failed to work, and resulted in a plain strengthening of the relationships, the perpetrator tried again, resulting in a distinct lack of focus between all three of you. I believe it failed though, for the lack of focus was only meant to occur to make both Miss Weasley and Mr Malfoy doubt their… closeness, to you, Miss Granger, therefore, trying again to dissolve your friendships."

"But why on earth hasn't it affected my friendship with Remus? We're incredibly close." Hermione asked, confusing lining her voice painfully.

"Miss Granger, are you forgetting his lycanthropy?" Dumbledore reminded her gently. Draco flinched. He himself had forgotten about Remus Lupin's nature.

"Of course," whispered Ginny. Draco turned to gaze at her enquiringly. "It didn't work because he's a werewolf. Natural mental defences, remember? So not only didn't that work, but the person cursing her do a very good job of it. The moment I was told to go to the Common Room today, me and Hermione sat by the fire drinking hot chocolate, eating cookies and cakes and gossiping."

Draco snorted with laughter, causing the two girls to stare at him. "That's so not like you, petal. Surely you would have studied upon going back to Gryffindor Tower?"

"No. Madam Pomfrey told me I was overworked, so I didn't want to overexert myself even more." Hermione replied, rolling her beautiful chocolate coloured eyes. "Besides, it was nice to just relax and talk with my best friend for once. I do enjoy not working from time to time, you know?"

Draco nodded and grinned. He appreciated the fact that she indulged in relaxation every now and again, and he found himself looking at her in a different light. Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat again, and Draco looked at the two girls. Hermione looked as though she was daydreaming, and Ginny was muttering something under her breath, scribbling on some parchment. When the old professor cleared his throat again, both girls looked up.

"I'm surprised at you three. You're among the brightest students in the school and yet not one of you has asked the vital question." Dumbledore said, and started to chuckle quietly. It hit him like an epiphany then, and he turned back to the old man, narrowing his eyes.

"That's about to be rectified, sir. Who cursed her?" Draco asked quietly, listening even more intently than he had all day. He stole a quick glance out of the window. It was a dark moon, though stars littered the sky. The old man grimaced and waved his wand. At once, Draco's hand was ripped from Hermione's and bound to the arm of his chair with silver fire. His right hand was halfway towards his own wand when that too was bound to the arm of the chair with the same silver flames. His wrists were warmed by the tongues of flame, but his skin was not burned. He tried to free his hand and found that the fire tightened around his wrist and grew uncomfortably hot.

"Stop fighting Mr Malfoy." Dumbledore said contritely. Draco looked at Hermione and Ginny. Hermione's hands were unbound, though Ginny's were tied to her chair in the same way as his, only with a gold flame instead of a silver one.

"Why haven't my hands been bound to my chair?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Because he trusts you, Hermione," said Ginny irritably, ceasing her struggle to get free as her flames glowed brighter. "Sir, you can tell us who it is now; we're obviously not going to fight against the bindings."

"Miss Pansy Parkinson, of Slytherin house. Rest assured that she has been stripped from her role as Prefect, and in her place is now Miss Daphne Greengrass. Miss Parkinson is also to do detention every night for a month, including over weekends, and will not be allowed to go to Hogsmeade Village for the rest of the year. She wants you dead, Miss Granger, but she has been informed that any attack upon you will result in her immediate expulsion." Dumbledore said sombrely.

Draco felt fury fill him, and the fire burned hotter, though he barely noticed. He let out a howl of pure rage, and felt a niggling sensation that now was the time to calm down. He ignored it, and embraced the loss of control that was building beneath him. Finally, his magic exploded, destroying every trinket in the large room. He stood up, released from the chair as several gasps were echoing in the air, both from the girls beside him, and from many of the portraits lining the walls. Suddenly, he was rising into the air in a blue orb, and his magic was being forced back into his body, and he was being forced into serenity. Draco tried to be irritated, but all he could feel was a peaceful calm. He couldn't even get pissed off that Dumbledore was using magic on him to make him be serene. He turned his attention to the environment outside of the orb. The office was returned to its original state, all the trinkets were repaired, and Hermione had turned white.

"Let me down." Draco demanded. Much to his surprise, his wish was granted. He ran to Hermione and wrapped her in his arms around her. "I'm so sorry; I had no idea, petal."

"I know," whispered Hermione. The colour was slowly returning to her face, though she still looked a little faint.

"Can I take her back to Gryffindor Tower?" Ginny asked, somewhat impatiently.

"No, Mr Malfoy. Take her to the Room of Requirement. All three of you are to stay there together. Actually, get Mr Potter as well. I will get a house-elf to take you food and drinks, and you four are to stay there in order to calm down and think things through. Play games, do what you wish, just do not leave that room until an hour before breakfast tomorrow morning. Miss Weasley, if I find that Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy or you attempt to find Miss Parkinson, I will have no hesitation in letting Professor McGonagall punish the three of you." Dumbledore said. Though he sounded perfectly serene, there was a definite threat in his voice, and when Draco heard McGonagall's name, he blanched. She was one frightful witch, no puns intended.

"Yes, Professor. We'll be going now, then." Draco said quickly, taking Hermione and Ginny by the hands and dragging them to the doorway. "I think it'd be good for us to spend the night together, and not like _that,_ Ginny!" Draco added exasperatedly, for Ginny had given him a naughty smirk.

"Hermione, would you go and get Harry? I want to talk to Draco. We'll see you in the Room of Requirement." Ginny said. Hermione nodded and walked off in the opposite direction to them once they'd gotten to the Seventh floor. When Hermione was out of earshot, Draco picked up the pace, and waited outside the Room for the door to appear. Once it had, he dragged Ginny inside.

"I'm going to kill her. I'll do it slowly and painfully, and make sure she regrets cursing my future wife!" Draco said menacingly. Ginny nodded and smirked sadistically.

"Oh, I couldn't agree more. Actually, the killing bit can wait. I want to do to her what she attempted to do to Hermione. You know her and her group of friends quite well, don't you?" Ginny asked, and here Draco nodded. "Well then, we create a rift between them, make them abandon her."

"Good idea, but how?" Draco replied impatiently, pacing up and down, weaving between the sofas and the beds.

"Well, Christmas break is only really a day away, we can use that time to think of how to destroy her." Ginny said. She looked as though she was going to say something else, but the door opened and Hermione walked in, with a seething Harry following her.

The four students managed to persuade the elves to bring a load of Firewhisky to them, and they spent most of the night playing drinking games. Eventually, Harry and Ginny fell into bed, and with a little prompting, remembered to put up Silencing charms. The moment Draco was alone with Hermione; he pulled her head towards him and devoured her lips. He could taste chocolate and Firewhisky on her tongue, and he moaned low in his throat when her tongue flicked teasingly against his. Despite the effects of the alcohol on him, he was immediately rock hard and ready for her. Hermione crawled on top of him, and he gasped when her warm fingers curled around him. She stroked his dick lovingly, before letting go. Before Draco could complain, however, he was buried in her warm folds, feeling the tight, wet cavern slide upon him. He was moaning loudly and she bit his neck a split second before throwing her head back and screaming her release, and with his name on her lips, he spilled his seed deep within her, jerking slightly as he had the most intense orgasm of his life.

Hermione's soft pink lips captured his again, and so quietly that he wasn't sure he even heard it, she whispered "I love you" into his mouth. And then she fell asleep, tucked around him, fitting against his body perfectly.

"I love you too." Draco slurred, and then he too succumbed to sleep.

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><p><strong>ARGHHHH I don't want it to end! Please give me some suggestions for the end of this (I will be including an epilogue), because I want to know what YOU want. Some challenge wordsphrases are welcome too, so don't be shy, LOL. **

**Review me baby.**

**Lottie.**


	29. Christmas

**Hello, you beauties. Big thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I'm seriously going to miss you guys. I only have one last chapter and an epilogue to write *sobs uncontrollably*. This chapter, I have included challenge words from the amazing unimaginablyevilguycalledbob (who is seriously hilarious, and ALWAYS encourages me to write smut) and the wonderful BelleBelles (who gives me challenge words when I want them, and is always really nice with the reviews). **

**I hope you enjoy this baby, she's a bit longer than the others.**

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><p>Hermione woke up on Christmas Eve morning happier and brighter than she'd been in days. She was the only girl left in her dormitory, because everyone else had gone back home. She sat up and looked at her clock, smiling when it sang out 6:30am. A bright white light suddenly interrupted her vision, and she pulled back the curtain on her bed, padding over to the window. Hermione's usual sight of the school grounds and the Forbidden Forest were completely blanketed in white snow. She beamed and clapped excitedly, like a child, and dashed over to the bathroom, hopping into the shower to have a scalding, and extremely quick shower.<p>

Hermione dried herself magically, not bothering to put any clothes on as she dashed back into her dormitory, considering that there were no 6th Year Gryffindor girls still around. Only Dean Thomas remained from the boys in her year. She pondered the significant lack of Gryffindors staying behind this year as she dressed in a long-sleeved navy blue t-shirt and jeans, and tied a woolly jumper around her waist. It was her favourite, red, and it fell to the middle of her thighs. She left her curly hair down and picked up the large backpack with everyone's presents. As a second thought, she put her jumper on, put her coat over her arm, and double-checked that she had her scarlet hat, scarf and gloves in the smaller pocket of her bag.

Hermione made her way up to the headmaster's office and spoke the password to the gargoyle, who wished her a Merry Christmas as she climbed the spiral staircase to the office. She gasped when she saw Dumbledore's office, for it looked like a blasting curse had been cast on a tinsel factory. The tinsel in question was strewn everywhere in different colours, including on the small golden tree that stood beside Dumbledore's desk.

"Good morning, Miss Granger. Are you ready to go to the Burrow?" Dumbledore asked, grinning rather widely at her. Hermione nodded and smiled, returning the greeting as she pulled on her coat, scarf and gloves, and made sure the backpack was secure on her shoulders. She took Dumbledore's outstretched arm and felt a tug.

A split second later, Hermione found herself alone outside the Burrow, and she smiled, looking up at the many-storeyed house. She bounded forward, ignoring the bite of the snow on her cheeks and knocked on the door. Hermione only saw the door open, before she was pulled into a huge hug by Molly Weasley, who, as Hermione had predicted, put a huge plate of food in front of her.

"Hello, Hermione dear. Why haven't you come to stay for the entire holiday? You are more than welcome, if you wanted to change your mind." Mrs Weasley said, patting her on the shoulder as she began to tuck into the lovely hot breakfast in front of her.

"I wanted to stay at Hogwarts this year, Mrs Weasley. Thank you so much for the invitation though; I'm grateful that you offered to have me here." Hermione said, before spearing some more eggs onto her fork.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur, as all of the Weasley's ate breakfast together, chatting happily. After breakfast had been devoured, the twins grabbed an arm each, waved their wands to put her coat, hat, scarf and gloves on her, and dragged her outside to join their team in the snowball war that was taking place outside. In their team were Hermione, Fred, George and Charlie; in the other team were Ginny, Ron, Harry and Bill. Percy was in his own flat in London with his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, so the teams were even.

The twins had waved their wands to make the snow form a tightly packed wall that protected them from the pelting of the hard snowballs from Harry, Ron and Bill; Ginny was evidently making them. Hermione began to make snowballs of her own, and Charlie was bewitching them to fly over Harry and Ron's wall and hit them on the heads. Every dull thud made the Twins cackle manically, and then they both flashed Hermione equally mischievous smirks as they built a huge snowman, and then made hundreds of small snowballs, which they piled into the snowman's giant hands. Then Fred, George and Charlie began to put various spells on the snowman, and it sprung to life. It charged towards the others and pelted them violently with the balls. The resounding cries of "ouch!" ringing through the air made the four of them leap up and high-five each other. They had won two of three snowball fights before being called in at four o'clock for snacks and to warm up.

Hermione caught sight of her reflection in the mirror above the mantle in the sitting room and sighed. She had a huge grin sliding from her face, and her cheeks and nose were bright pink from the biting cold outside. Her hair had become extremely bushy again, and there was a happy twinkle in her eyes that could have rivalled Dumbledore's. She sighed again and called Charlie into the living room.

"Hermione, what's up?" Charlie asked, walking into the room with a sausage roll in his hand.

"I need a favour, Charlie, if it's okay." Hermione said, writing the hair-taming charm on a piece of parchment.

"Er, alright. What do you want me to do?"

"Say this, and flick your wand at my hair." Hermione said, thrusting the parchment into his hand. Charlie grinned bemusedly.

"Okay then. Stay still. Domare comae, crus illud plana et," Charlie said, and he flicked his wand at Hermione's head, while her eyes were tightly shut. When she opened them again, she looked in the mirror and released the breath she was unaware she had been holding. Much to her delight, her hair was tamed once again. Charlie looked pleased with himself. Hermione was about to thank him when she heard Sirius' loud laugh in the kitchen. She gave Charlie a quick, thank-you hug and then sprinted into the kitchen, where she threw her arms around Sirius' neck (Remus was being fussed over by Mrs Weasley).

"Sirius, how are you?" Hermione asked, once she'd released him.

He beamed at her and said, "I'm fine Hermione, you?"

"Not too bad, thanks." She then turned to Remus and hugged him tightly before murmuring in his ear, "Remus, you might want to take yours and Sirius' Christmas presents now, before you announce it."

He nodded. "Thank you, Hermione. I sent your present to Hogwarts already, so you'll get it in the morning." Hermione beamed and handed over two finely wrapped gifts, and she watched happily as he squeezed and shook the one with his name on the ribbon. Her grin spread even wider a few minutes later, when he shrunk it and put it in his pocket, looking highly disgruntled.

"I've placed a charm on it, so that you can't open it until tomorrow morning, Remus. You'll just have to wait." Hermione grinned and pulled Mrs to one side. "Mrs Weasley, I brought all of your presents with me, so you may want to take them off me now."

"Oh, Hermione, you didn't have to do that." Mrs Weasley replied warmly. She took the presents from Hermione somewhat reluctantly, and then patted her on the shoulder gently. "While you're here, dear, I was wondering if you could tell me why Ron, Harry and Ginny have been so anxious since Remus and Sirius arrived."

"No, Mrs Weasley, it's not up to me to say anything. I promise you though, you'll find out very soon." Hermione replied, and then walked back into the kitchen. She had arrived just in time, because it looked as though Sirius was about to open his mouth to talk. He'd flung an arm around Remus' shoulders, and while it appeared to be a friendly gesture to everyone, the four youngest Gryffindors knew differently and immediately grew tense. Remus shot a quelling glance at the four of them, who had stood together, all of them gripping the wands in their pockets. This action was not missed by Bill, who subtly nudged Charlie, and the two of them silently drew their wands and held them loosely at their sides.

Hermione shot a worried glance at Sirius, who shook his head gently and pointed his wand to his throat, muttering a spell that she knew to be _Sonorus_. "Could I have everyone's attention please?" Sirius asked, his voice booming through the entire house. Everyone converged in the kitchen, and Hermione moved to stand closer to Remus, still gripping her wand in her pocket. Harry had done the same with Sirius, and they shared a brief look. They were going to do their best to protect the couple if it all came to blows. Sirius moved slightly closer to Remus, but removed his arm from his shoulder.

"Right, well, as you all know, Remus and I have been best friends since we were eleven years old. Despite the twelve year separation," here sniggers were heard from the twins, and Mrs Weasley cleared her throat disapprovingly (whether at Sirius' words or the chuckles of the twins, it was unclear). "We even live together, as we did when we left school at seventeen. You all know us pretty well, and know that we are closer than ever. Well, there's a very good reason for that."

Hermione gripped her wand even tighter, tension radiating from her in waves. She shared another look with Harry, who nodded glumly, and she looked at both Ron and Ginny pointedly. Evidently, they got the message, because they began to position themselves behind their parents, who were near the back of the Weasley group. It occurred to Hermione that all four of them would get into huge amounts of trouble if they_ did_ have to use magic against the adults, but she brushed the thought aside. Friends were more important.

Remus stepped closer to Hermione and whispered in her ear, almost inaudibly, "Hermione, it's not worth it. _Stand down_."

"No, Remus. You're one of my best friends, and Sirius means a lot to me too. I will not, and I doubt the others will either, _especially_ Harry." Hermione breathed, just as quietly. Remus pulled a face and stepped closer to Sirius again.

"You have stood by us through thick and thin, and been entirely non-judgemental concerning Remus' lycanthropy, knowing what a softie he is." Sirius said, and gentle laughter sang out in the room.

"It's time to tell you all, we've stalled long enough. I do hope you will all still care about us the same as you do already, and I hope you all can understand. Sirius and I are in a relationship. It is one that was reconciled after Harry, Hermione and Ron proved Sirius' innocence three years ago. We are engaged, to marry, though we haven't set a date." Remus said, and he was greeted by a deafening silence. The twins were wearing identical expressions of shock, Charlie looked impressed, Bill seemed stunned but happy, like his father and Mrs Weasley was in silent tears.

"Molly, are you okay?" Sirius asked tentatively, gripping Remus hand tightly. He never got an answer though, because Mr Weasley bounced forward and wrapped the two in a hug, congratulating them and telling them how glad he was for them. Remus' tense expression softened as he grinned back at Mr Weasley. Bill and Charlie followed suit, congratulating them whilst shaking their hands and pulling them in half-hugs. The twins laughed in delight, and disapparated from the room, apparating back in seconds, carrying huge crates of Filibuster's No-Heat Wet Start fireworks. They set them off, and yelled their own congratulations as they did so. Ron was helping Fred and George with the fireworks, Harry and Ginny were chatting with Sirius animatedly. Bill and Charlie were adding their own decorations to the Christmas ones the Weasley family had put up, but only Hermione followed Remus' gaze to Mrs Weasley, who was standing still in the middle of the din, tears still streaming down her plump cheeks and focussing on some far-off point. Hermione walked over to Remus, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him over to Mrs Weasley, wand still in her hand.

"Molly?" Remus said quietly. She didn't answer. Hermione let go of Remus' hand and put her own hand on Mrs Weasley's shoulder, making her jump violently, and her hand was halfway towards her wand, when Remus caught it and held it tightly. "Molly, I'm sorry if we gave you a shock. We didn't want to tell anyone until we were sure that it was for real. We were together almost all through school and up until James and Lily died. When things picked back up between us, we didn't want to say anything. Hermione here was actually the first to know. She caught us kissing last Christmas in Grimmauld Place."

"Okay. I'm happy for you both, you know that. It was just a shock. Come; let's get back to the party." Molly said. She grinned, and gave them a Firewhisky each. "Hermione dear, considering the celebration, I'll give you one this once."

"Thank you Mrs Weasley." Hermione said. She stood on a stool and cleared her throat loudly. "Attention, you lot. Remus Lupin is one of my very best friends, and I couldn't be happier for him. I know that Sirius is perfect for him, and I know that Sirius would do anything and everything in his power to make Remus happy. I'd like to toast their happiness and their love, and I hope they have luck in all of their endeavours: to Remus and Sirius!" Hermione cried, raising her glass towards her two friends.

"To Remus and Sirius," echoed throughout the room, and everyone raised their glasses, matching grins on every single face in the room. A few hours passed, filled with drinking, dancing and laughter. The next time Hermione looked at the clock, she saw that it was nearly midnight. She looked around the room and spotted Harry and Ginny holding hands in a corner, drinking happily. She ran over to Ron, hugged him briefly, and then walked over to Harry and Ginny, pulling Harry in a hug, and then Ginny, who she also kissed on the cheek. She made her way around the room, hugging everyone, including Fred and George, who looked surprised. Finally, she hugged Sirius, whispering a 'merry Christmas' in his ear, and then kissed Remus on the cheek and hugged him tightly.

"Merry Christmas everyone, have a wonderful day, and I hope to see you all soon. See you in a couple of weeks, Harry, Ron, Ginny. Write to me, you two," she added to Remus and Sirius, before grabbing a handful of glittering grey Floo powder, throwing it down into the fire and stepping into it. She looked at the whole Weasley family. Harry and Ginny were holding hands and grinning at her; Ron, Fred and George were drinking Firewhisky and singing 'Odo the Hero'; Bill and Charlie were waving at Hermione while laughing at their three youngest brothers; Mr Weasley had his arm around Mrs Weasley and was smiling lovingly at her; and Sirius and Remus were hugging, and both of them were beaming at her. She was reluctant to go back to Hogwarts, but she bellowed "Gryffindor Common Room!" and span away from the Burrow and the celebrations there.

* * *

><p>Light seeped through Hermione's eyelids at 8am on Christmas morning. She could hear several people laughing down in the Common Room and she grinned. She looked down at the end of her bed and saw a huge pile of presents at the end of it. She also saw a small scroll of parchment there, and she lunged for that first.<p>

_Hermione,  
>I am going to be in the Great Hall at 9am for breakfast on Christmas morning, if you'd like to meet me. If you happen to miss me, then I'll wait for you outside. I'll probably be partaking in a snowball fight, so dress warm. I hope everything went well at the Weasley home last night, but you can tell me when I see you.<br>I love you, my petal,  
>Draco.<em>

Hermione grinned and set the parchment aside. She picked up the first present she came across, which was from her parents. It contained ten Galleons and a box of new quills in many different colours. She put the tag aside and reached for the next present. Eventually they were all unpacked and she was happy. She got a book on the Founders of Hogwarts from Harry; a book about the history of Transfiguration from Ron; a crate of Wonder Witch products from Fred and George; a Weasley jumper and a large box of mince pies from Mr and Mrs Weasley; a new set of beautiful black and silver lingerie and a book filled with useful beauty charms; a pretty silver and moonstone headband from Bill and Fleur; a new pair of Dragonhide gloves from Charlie; an enchanted diary that she could write in (it needed a drop of her blood and a password she could decide on, and it would open only for her, which was a little disturbing) from Sirius; and a beautiful set of gold and ruby earrings and a matching bracelet from Remus. The jewellery was accompanied with a large thank-you letter and a note. She unwound the tight scroll and read it.

_Hermione Jean Granger,  
>I give you these earrings and this bracelet as a gift. I inherited them from my mother in the hopes that if I ever had a daughter, she would be the one to have them. You, however, are the closest thing I will ever have to a daughter, though you are indeed my best friend as well. Hermione, these items of jewellery have been passed down in my family for hundreds of years – my mother actually received them from my paternal grandmother, for she never had a daughter of her own. The jewellery is goblin made, so it will continue to be in perfect condition for hundreds of years to come. I want you to wear them, Hermione, and when the time comes, give them to your daughter, should you have one.<br>I love you like my own family, Hermione.  
>Merry Christmas,<br>Remus John Lupin._

She smiled, though her eyes were prickling with tears. She looked in the mirror by her bed, the one she'd taken to keeping with her since her second year, and put the earrings and bracelet on. She checked the time and realised she only had five minutes to meet Draco, so she cast a freshening charm on herself, put on her new emerald lingerie (she could wear the set from Ginny tomorrow), threw her new Weasley jumper over that and put on her jeans and Converse sneakers. Hermione jogged down the stairs, yelled a quick 'Merry Christmas' to everyone in the Common Room and sprinted down to the Great Hall. She grinned widely as she ran up to Draco and threw herself into the seat next to him. Hermione plunged a hand in her pocket and retrieved the black velvet box that his ring was nestled in. At the same time, he reached into the pocket of his robes and brought out a larger, scarlet satin box.

"Merry Christmas, my love," said Hermione, kissing him before handing him the box.

"And to you, petal," replied Draco quietly, placing the box gently in her hands.

Hermione could barely contain her excitement as she opened the box, and her first thought was 'thank goodness he thought of rubies, it matches Remus' gift perfectly!', and then she gasped. It was a gold flower with a large ruby in the place of the pistil. It was placed on a pretty gold chain, and with some prompting from her boyfriend, turned it over. An intricate D was carved into the back. Her eyes filled with tears as she turned around, moving her hair out of the way. Draco got the hint and took the pendant from her hands, fastening it at the back of her neck. He tenderly kissed the spot where the fastening rested, and a shiver ran down her back.

"This is what you spent so long making?" Hermione whispered. Draco nodded, looking triumphant.

"There's one for me, too," replied Draco, and he revealed a silver and emerald pendant. His emerald was much smaller than her ruby, as it was in the eye of the silver dragon. He turned it, and Hermione drew a sharp breath when she saw an H as intricately carved as the D on her pendant. "I should probably tell you what it does, hmm?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, and she felt her brow furrow in confusion.

"Lay your index finger on it and say my name. You'll see what I mean," said Draco. Hermione did as she was told, feeling the gold grow hot under her fingertip and jumped when she heard Draco's voice in her mind. She knew it was in her head, because his lips were tightly shut.

_Hermione, petal, is everything okay? _Draco thought at her.

_Er, yeah. This is an amazing piece of magic, Draco. No wonder you had no time to spend with us!_

"It did take quite a while, my love. Do you like it?" Draco said, out loud this time.

"Of course I do! It's perfect, sweetheart. Open my present now," said Hermione, poking him. She watched with delight as he opened it and his jaw dropped open in shock. He slid it on his right middle finger and sighed wonderingly as the dragon shimmered slightly and coiled tighter, moulding itself to the size of Draco's finger.

* * *

><p>"Why don't you use what you and Ginny were talking about the other night?" Draco whispered seductively. Hermione looked at him, confused. She wasn't confused as to what he was talking about – she knew perfectly well that he was talking about the tips Ginny had given her. What she didn't know was how he knew. She put her index finger on the pendant he'd given her and whispered his name.<p>

_How did you know about that?_ Hermione thought at him accusingly.

_I sort of listened into your conversation with her, petal. I'm sorry, babe, honestly. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't hear the entire conversation – just the end bit._

"Hmm, okay." Hermione replied out loud, letting her irritation shine through, and then leant in to kiss him again. She was topless, and Draco had _loved _the emerald underwear. His hands began to roam down her torso, to the button of her jeans, which he tugged open, and he broke off the kiss to slide them down her smooth legs. He took in the satin panties and sighed audibly, making Hermione's confidence soar through the roof. She reached her hands down to his shoulders and pulled him up to kiss her again. As he lay across her, Hermione felt his rock-hard erection press against her thigh.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked as Hermione gripped the hem of his robes. His question was answered, as, with a huge tug, she slipped the robe over his head.

"Too many clothes," muttered Hermione before pulling him in for another searing kiss. Draco's hands began to wander again, and Hermione shuddered when his thumbs lightly brushed her ribs, just below her breasts. Her chest rose up from the bed, and Draco took the chance to quickly unhook her bra, pull it down her arms and away from her body. She jerked when the cold air hit her nipples, making them stand alert. In the next second, her right nipple was engulfed in moist warmth as her boyfriend's lips wrapped around it and sucked. She writhed as the warmth shot straight down to her wet centre. Somehow, Hermione found the strength to roll over and kiss down Draco's Quidditch toned body, until she reached the light trail of dark blonde hair leading down towards the huge, straining erection just waiting for the attention of her mouth. She smiled, somewhat sadistically, and hooked her thumbs into his metallic grey silk boxers, pulling them down his muscular legs. Hermione reached out her right index finger and lightly brushed down his rock hard penis, her smirk widening when it twitched.

At a gasp from the Slytherin hunk, Hermione replaced her finger with her tongue and flicked it over the head of Draco's penis, tasting the bead of salty precome that had welled up there. A deep, guttural moan ripped out from her sweetheart's throat, and Hermione took him inside her mouth, letting her throat relax and taking him as deep as she could. She hollowed out her cheeks on the upstroke, sucking as hard as she could, and she felt Draco's stomach begin to tense with him coming orgasm. Hermione instead massaged his balls in her left hand, alternating between hard squeezes and feather light strokes. She drew him in again with another huge pull and with a shrieking moan; Draco shot his load down her throat, nearly choking her. Hermione continued her assault upon his penis, almost milking him.

"Oh baby, baby, oops I did it again. Hang on, I know something better! One two three, Peter, Paul an' me, gettin' down with three peeps, everybody loves me," sang Hermione softly.

"You what?" Draco asked, bemusedly. His eyelids were drooping from the force of his orgasm.

"Nothing, honey, I was just singing." Hermione replied.

"Oh, okay."

"You're exhausted," said Hermione, looking at him. Amusement laced her voice as she crawled up the bed to lie next to him. She smiled as he wrapped an arm around her, and she pulled his head up to lie on her chest.

"Mm. That was one of the most intense orgasms of my life." Draco admitted sleepily.

"Merry Christmas, my dragon," said Hermione, pulling the covers up to cover them both. Draco sighed and pulled her tighter against him. She giggled as his hair tickled her neck.

"Merry Christmas, petal. It's been my favourite so far, you know." Draco smiled softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Hermione let her own eyes drift shut as Draco's breathing evened out in sleep. The steady rhythm of her lover's breath sent Hermione drifting into her own slumber. The last thing she remembered was thinking about how much she agreed with Draco. It was her favourite Christmas so far, too.

* * *

><p><strong>You like? Right, no slacking. There are only TWO chappies left to write, so PLEASE give me challenge words. Come on, beauties, share the love. I'm still taking suggestions for the epilogue, so they are welcome too.<strong>

**Please review, you know you want to.**

**Yours, as ever,  
>Lottie.<strong>


	30. Truth or Dare

**This is the last true chapter of this fic, and it's actually broken my heart that I have to stop writing this. I want to thank my reviewers, and irish-essex-girl and unimaginablyevilguyclledbob for the challenge words this chapter. I hope you like it, because this chappy is a little longer than I usually write, and it's got a very smutty scene in it.**

**Enjoy, beauties.**

* * *

><p>The weeks after Christmas passed in a haze of sheer delight for Draco Malfoy. He had the girl of his dreams, and he knew that she was the real deal. He was in love with her, and wanted nothing more than to have a family with her and grow old with her. There was no denying the fact he was in love with her, after all, if the idea of children repulsed him before he got with Hermione Granger and she changed that just by her presence in his life, it must be love. They conversed often, though not so much out loud, preferring to have completely private telepathic conversations. Draco had never been so proud of something he'd done in his life. They had made it almost a competition between them in classes to see which one of them could get the other to have a reaction out loud to something the other had thought at them. It was brilliant training for him to keep his expression under control, especially in Potions, where Hermione attempted to get him aroused right in front of Slughorn. He shook his head while he ate lunch with Blaise and Theo, his two best friends.<p>

"Thinking of her again, Draco?" Blaise teased. Daphne Greengrass, his best female friend, looked up from opposite him.

"Thinking of whom? You're thinking of Hermione again, my friend? Have you taken your mind off of her at any point today?" Daphne teased lightly. She was sitting with them an awful lot more, now that she was dating Theodore Nott. It was a week away from Valentine's Day, and Draco still hadn't thought of anything decent to do with Hermione. He knew that wild sex would probably be on the cards, because they were honestly like rabbits when they could get time to be together. Aside from Draco being on the Slytherin Quidditch team as their Seeker, they both also had separate Prefect duties _and_ they were studying for their NEWTs, so they didn't get as much time as they wanted.

"Yes, Mrs Nott," replied Draco, winking at her when she flushed with a mixture of fury and embarrassment.

"I told you not to call me that, Malfoy!" Daphne said, glowering at him. "Have you decided what to do yet?"

"Huh, what are you two on about?" Theo asked. "Come on; don't leave me out of the loop."

"They're talking about Valentine's Day, Theo. You're not exactly missing much, my friend." Blaise interjected. "But speaking of, have you actually planned anything?"

Draco sighed irritably and stabbed at his chicken moodily. "No, I haven't, and I don't have a clue what to do for it. I want it to be special, you know?"

"Well, there is that new restaurant on Excalibur Lane in Hogsmeade. I think it was called Madam Swanne's. Take her there, the food is amazing, and it has a rather nice atmosphere. You'll have to owl Madam Swanne, and reserve, but she should relent with a bit of persuasion." Theo said brightly.

"By persuasion, you mean gold. She's also got a restaurant in Diagon Alley. I'm surprised you haven't heard of her, Draco, because I know your father goes there often with your mother." Daphne said absently, while flicking through her Charms textbook. Draco raised his eyebrows at he enquiringly, but she shook her head softly, honey coloured locks falling around her face. She'd tell him _how_ she knew that later.

"Well, I guess I'll get writing then. There's only about eleven days until Valentine's Day, and I doubt you're the only one who had thought of that restaurant," said Draco, with another sigh. He got his best parchment from his bag and started to write a quick letter.

_Dear Madam Swanne,  
>My name is Draco Malfoy, and I am a student currently in education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was hoping to reserve a table for two at 7pm on Sunday, 14<em>_th__ February, Valentine's Day. I understand I should have thought to reserve a table much sooner than now, but I was only just recommended your restaurant by Theodore Nott, who says that it is excellent. I believe my father; Lucius Abraxas Malfoy is a regular patron to your restaurant in Diagon Alley, along with my mother. I so look forward to the day I can try your rumoured excellence for myself.  
>I look forward to hearing from you,<br>Draco Lucius Malfoy._

Draco sealed the letter and put it in the pocket of his robes, finishing his chicken and asparagus, and draining his goblet of juice. He said a quick goodbye to his friends, who were discussing the Potions essay they had been set. He walked off towards the Owlery, pulling his cloak tighter around his body as he walked, trying to keep as much warmth as possible within his body. When he finally made it up the frosty steps of the Owlery, he called Willafus down and attached the parchment to his scaly leg. There was a very brief pressure on his arm as the owl took off, and he walked back down to the main part of the school, where his next lesson was Transfiguration. He caught up with Daphne, who had started sitting next to him after Christmas and walked to class with her, discussing various gifts for Valentine's Day with her.

He touched a long, pale finger to his pendant and whispered his lover's name, waiting for the pendant to grow hot. _Hermione, my love, where are you?_

_I'm with Ron and Harry, on our way to Transfiguration. Why, what's up?_

_Tell Harry and Ginny to come to the Room of Requirement at 8pm tonight. I think Theo and Daphne will probably come, so you may as well ask Ron to come, and… ooh, I'll get Emilie to come. She'll be up for it._

_Who the hell is Emilie? _Hermione thought at him angrily.

_Emilie Fawcett, our year, Slytherin. She should have been in Ravenclaw with Summer, her older sister, but she didn't want to be there. The Sorting Hat put her in Slytherin thanks to her cunning and quick thinking. She doesn't get along so well though, because she doesn't have the whole 'pure-bloods are superior' attitude and she never once pretended otherwise. She's really cool though – always up for a laugh, so she'll do well tonight._

_Er, why, what's happening?_

_Truth or Dare, accompanied with Firewhisky and a shit load of gold. Tell Potter to raid his vault._

_Tell him yourself._ Hermione thought. Draco turned around and saw Hermione enter the room with a smug expression on her face, followed by Harry and Ron. Draco was almost in a trance as he watched his girlfriend's hips sway sexily with each step she took.

"Like what you see, dragon?" Hermione asked, winking. She waved at Daphne, who inclined her head in return.

"More than you would think possible, petal." Draco replied seductively. He watched as she shivered and sat down in her seat. He remembered that he needed to talk to Emilie Fawcett, so he turned around to poke her. "Oi, Emilie!"

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Emilie replied, not looking up. She had a very 'Black' appearance – with curly ebony hair and stormy grey eyes, and the aristocratic bone structure. She was beautiful, no doubt about it, but she was rather feisty, and didn't care much for male company. The more Draco thought about it, the more he realised that Slytherin really was the perfect house for her.

"You're coming with me, Theo and Daphne tonight. We're meeting Hermione, Potter and the two Weasley's." Draco replied. Emilie finally looked up, giving him a once over.

"Right and when did I agree to this?"

Draco smirked. If he wasn't head over heels for Hermione, he definitely would have tried to get with Em. "You didn't. I did. Firewhisky, Truth or Dare, six 6th Year students, hell there's even food if you want it, Em."

"You had me until you called me Em. I'm telling you, Malfoy, if you call me 'Em' one more time, I'll hex your balls off." Emilie replied icily. She appeared to think for a minute. "I'm in. Want me to wear anything special?"

"Decent lingerie – things might get saucy." Draco replied. "Oh, and one more thing…"

Emilie tensed. "What, Draco?"

"You'll probably end up with Ron Weasley." Draco replied, turning around quickly. He grinned when he physically heard her grimace, and shared the smile with Daphne, who had listened to the entire exchange.

"That wasn't fair, Drake. She may be from a family of Ravenclaws, but she _is_ a Slytherin at heart, and _every_ Slytherin girl would rather take a Brazilian over Ronald Weasley." Daphne murmured out of the corner of her mouth, taking Draco completely by surprise. He didn't think Daphne ever gossiped with any of the girls in their House. Then he focussed on one word: Brazilian.

"What in Merlin's name is a Brazilian? Because I'm willing to bet you aren't talking about a person from Brazil." Draco asked her. McGonagall chose that moment to walk in the room, halting all conversations in the room. Daphne slid a piece of parchment under his hand.

_I'll explain later, though I don't know if you really want to know what it is_. Daphne's familiar, neat writing was written quickly on the parchment, and Draco shuddered. If Daph thought he didn't want to know, she was most probably right.

* * *

><p>At 8pm, Draco was sitting on the thickly carpeted floor of the room of requirement with Daphne, Theodore and Emilie. The four Slytherins sat together on one of the large leather sofas, with several bottles of Firewhisky and eight glasses on the walnut coffee table in front of them. Truth or Dare with a shit load of alcohol was sure to be brilliant, and the fact that the room was going to supply them with whatever they needed… well, they were in for a rough night.<p>

At that moment, the four Gryffindors walked through the doors and threw themselves onto the other leather sofa, opposite their natural rivals. Of course, Draco's eyes found his beautiful girlfriend, and he nearly gasped when he looked at her. She was wearing a pretty chocolate brown chiffon dress that floated down to her knees gently. It had a halter neck, and came down in a sharp V shape that showed off her cleavage in a sexy, but classy way. Her hair was loose and gently waving down to her waist, and her chocolate eyes matched the dress perfectly. She wore Draco's pendant, with the earrings and bracelet Lupin had given her for Christmas, and she wore gold strappy sandals with them. Draco could see where her wand was strapped to her thigh where a long, thin line jutted out slightly beneath the dress. She sat down and crossed her legs at the ankles, the spiky heels an inch away from Harry's black dress shoes. Harry was wearing a jade green shirt and black dress pants. His jet hair was as unruly as ever, sticking out at odd angles, but evidently Ginny Weasley liked it that way, from the way one of her hands was gliding through it. Ginny was wearing a Grecian style ivory one-shoulder dress, with a thin black belt around her waist. She wore black heels and had a black ribbon tied around the end of her messy French plait. The black satin contrasted prettily with her red hair, and her make-up was quite understated. Her brother, Ron, seemed to have chosen a similar colour theme, with an ivory dress shirt, black dress pants and shoes and a black satin tie (no doubt borrowed from Harry) hung untied around his neck.

Emilie was looking appraisingly at the Gryffindors from Draco's right. He looked at his Slytherin friends. Emilie was wearing a black strapless dress that fell about three inches above her knees and she wore silver stilettos and jewellery. Black kohl lined her eyes, but she had silver eye shadow dusted over her eyelids. Thinking objectively, she looked drop dead gorgeous. Daphne, on the other hand, wore a simple jade green floor-length dress, had her honey-coloured hair in a chignon, and had her eyes framed only by her lashes which were coated in brown mascara. Both Theo and Draco had chosen to wear complete black. Both had identical silk shirts, though Theo had chosen to wear his tie loose around his neck, and Draco had chosen to simply have the top two buttons undone. Their dress pants were freshly pressed, and their shoes polished to perfection. The only accessory Draco wore was his pendant.

"Alright, Gryffindors and Slytherins, Truth or Dare, coupled with Firewhisky. That sounds like fun! So, if you don't know me, my name is Emilie Fawcett. I am a 6th Year Slytherin and younger sister to Summer Fawcett, Ravenclaw and Head Girl." Emilie said, leaning forward and pouring herself a glass of Firewhisky. Draco caught on, and introduced himself, though everyone knew who he was.

"You all know me, but it seems fitting to introduce myself anyway. Draco Malfoy, 6th Year Slytherin and prefect. I'm also the boyfriend of Hermione Granger." Draco said, winking at his girlfriend, who blushed a deep pink. He leaned forward and poured a glass of Firewhisky for himself.

"I'm Daphne Greengrass, 6th Year Slytherin and prefect and girlfriend of Theodore Nott." Daphne said, pouring her own drink and inclining her head to the Gryffindors.

"I'm Theodore Nott, hottest man in Slytherin, though apparently that doesn't count as an actual achievement or fact of importance. I'm a 6th Year Slytherin and boyfriend of the beautiful Daphne Greengrass." Theo said grabbing a glass and pouring the amber liquid into it. The Gryffindors chuckled at his description of himself, and he half bowed theatrically.

"I'm Ginny Weasley, 5th Year Gryffindor, and Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and girlfriend of Harry Potter. I also excel in Bat Bogey Hexes, so if you insult me, my friends or my family, you shall be on the receiving end of one." Ginny said brightly, pouring herself a rather large glass of Firewhisky. Everyone chuckled at her description and waited for Harry to speak.

"Er, I'm Harry Potter, 6th Year Gryffindor and Seeker for Gryffindor, and boyfriend on Ginny Weasley." Harry said hesitantly, reaching out to grab a glass, while gazing at Ginny lovingly.

"He's also the Boy Who Lived, and in the top three most famous wizards of our time. The other two being Albus Dumbledore and Tom Riddle, or Voldemort, if you prefer." Hermione added wearily. "I am Hermione Granger, 6th Year Gryffindor, prefect and general know-it-all. And I'm Draco Malfoy's girlfriend."

Ron waited for Hermione to pour a glass of whisky and take it before speaking. "I'm Ron Weasley, 6th Year Gryffindor, prefect and Keeper for Gryffindor. Fortunately single, and after Lavender Brown, that's heaven." Laughter rang out as he got his own glass.

"Okay, so we all know each other now. Let's drink!" Emilie said loudly, raising her glass and downing it in one. Everyone followed suit, and Draco felt the whisky burn his throat. From the slight coughs and grimaces simmering around the room, everyone else felt the same. Draco drew his wand and pointed it at the bottle of Firewhisky, levitating it so that it tilted and poured a decent amount of liquid into each person's glass. Soon, the bottle was empty, and Emilie snatched it up in her hand, slipping off her heels as she walked to the big yellow blanket on the floor near the sofas. She snapped her head up, looking towards the corner of the room, where there was a plastic board propped up against the wall. She summoned it, placing it in the middle of the blanket, and putting the bottle on its side in the very centre of the board.

"Em, what are you doing?" Theo asked, frowning.

"Don't call me Em, or I'll call you Teddy. Anyways, it's easier if we spin the bottle. It's fairer." Emilie replied, folding her legs beneath her as she settled more comfortably on the blanket.

"Touché, dear Emilie. Tell me why the blanket is yellow."

"I don't know; it was the first colour to pop into my head." Emilie said. Draco stood up with his glass in his hand, poured some more Firewhisky into it, and then reached out his hand to Hermione, who took it and went to sit next to him. Emilie was on Draco's left, while Hermione was on his right. Ginny immediately settled on Hermione's right, while Harry sat next to her. Daphne gracefully lowered herself into the space to Harry's right and Theo dropped like a stone next to her. Finally, Ron sat between Emilie and Theo, and then leant forward to spin the empty glass bottle.

"Truth or Dare, Emilie?" Ron asked tentatively.

"Truth," she replied. Ron grinned.

"Why aren't you in Ravenclaw with your sister?"

"Ooh, nosy. I didn't want to be with her, or that House. I'd heard of how serious and studious they were, and while that's no bad thing, and I am pretty smart, I like to have _fun_. I don't want to be serious unless I absolutely have to. The Sorting Hat saw a streak of self-preservation and cunning and immediately placed me in Slytherin." Emilie said simply. She spun the bottle and it landed on Theo. "Truth or Dare, Theodore?"

"Oh, Em, I'll have to take a dare." Theo replied, winking at her.

"Okay, _Teddy_, I dare you to snog Potter. Sorry ladies, he deserves it." Emilie said. Ginny grinned and nodded, while Daphne smirked and elbowed Theo, who had gone pale.

"Why me?" Harry demanded. "Ron's single, choose him instead!"

Theo shook his head and crawled over to Harry. He cupped Harry's face in his hands and snogged him, before letting go and scrambling back to Daphne. Draco burst into a round of applause and cheered, leading everyone in the group except Theo and Harry to clap wildly too. Theo spun the bottle next, and it landed on Ginny.

"Dare," sang Ginny before Theo even opened his mouth. A smile finally lit up his features.

"Snog Emilie."

"Okay," said Ginny, shrugging before crawling over and snogging Emilie to within an inch of her life. Draco watched, wide eyed as both girls tongues battled for dominance. He finally tore his eyes from the two girls to see that every boy in the Room had the same gobsmacked expression as him. Daphne and Hermione just watched with mild interest. Ginny broke the kiss and span the bottle of her way back to Harry. To Draco's surprise, and slight dismay, it landed on him. "Truth or Dare, ferret?"

"Truth."

"How do you feel about Hermione? Spare no details."

Draco sighed before looking straight into Hermione's eyes. "I am in love with her. I would give my life for her a million times over. I would give anything and everything to make her happy and to keep her safe. She is the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on, and she's the best shag I ever had too. I would happily marry her right this second. I would grow old and die with her in a heartbeat."

One fat tear slid down Hermione's face as the room fell into a stunned silence. He spun the bottle, which incidentally landed on Hermione.

"Dare," she whispered.

"Come with me and let me ravish you. You lot carry on – we may be a while." Draco said, taking Hermione's hand and pulling her from the still silent room. Her heels clicked lightly as they walked through the corridors until they came to an abandoned classroom. He gently pushed her back onto a desk and bent to kiss her. Her hands immediately traced up to his hair, which she gripped tightly. The pain of her grip only added to his pleasure, and he moaned into her mouth. "I meant every word I said," he gasped.

"I love you." Hermione replied, attaching her mouth to his again. Draco poked out his tongue to trace her top lip, and her mouth opened willingly, allowing him to gently touch his tongue to hers. She tasted of Firewhisky and vanilla, and the taste exploded on his tongue. He felt the blood drain from his head from both lack of oxygen and his growing arousal. He broke their kiss to reach around to her back and pull down the zip on her dress, and also to hook the fabric from her neck over her head. He tugged the dress down to let it pool at her feet like melted chocolate. He looked at her body and was shocked into silence. She wore an incredible black bra with silver lace and embroidery. The straps had a tiny silver bow near the cups each, tied with satin ribbon. They framed her breasts beautifully, and Draco reluctantly forced his eyes downwards, over the flat expanse of her alabaster torso. They reached her scanty pants, and his eyes nearly bulged out of the sockets. The pants were sheer black lace, with a silver ribbon stitched to the waistline that hugged her hips perfectly. She wore suspenders that were attached to nothing, just dangling gently on her smooth thighs. She had a leather wand strap buckled to her right thigh, and the tip of her vine wand pointed upwards towards the ceiling.

"Hermione, you really are a vision," sighed Draco drunkenly. He was drunk from the sight of her, not from the alcohol he had consumed. His eyes continued to rake over her body, which was drawing closer to him. Her fingers made quick work of removing his clothes, and soon, he too stood only in his underwear. Her thumbs hooked into the waistline of his very expensive boxers and yanked them down his legs, until the fabric tickled his feet. He willingly stepped out of them, and his hands traced the skin covering her hipbones, before pulling her to him. Skin met skin in a flurry, and clothes were removed, wands thrown aside and a battle for dominance ensued – one that Draco lost.

"No, I want to do something different." Hermione said, as Draco attempted to push into her. He drew back, staring at her enquiringly, before she conjured a bottle of lubricant from thin air. He felt his cheeks grow hot as he caught on to what she wanted. The truth was that he'd never attempted anal sex before. It scared him, just a little bit.

"Hermione, I've never…" Draco trailed off, his mouth gone dry. His erection still stood proud, and Hermione eyed it with an expression of slight amusement.

"So? I haven't either, and I'd trust no other person to try this with. I want to Draco. Are you going to deny me even a try?" Hermione replied, amusement sliding from her face, and a pleading expression replacing it.

"We'll try," whispered Draco. Hermione beamed and squirted a generous amount of the thick gel into her palm, rubbing it in her hands. She stalked forward, and Draco felt a huge pressure on his torso, pushing him back onto a desk, where he sat obediently. Hermione's small hands wrapped around his length and he gasped loudly. The lube tingled as Hermione's hands smoothed a layer of it all over his penis. It felt as though hundreds of tiny hands were massaging his length and he moaned loudly. Hermione giggled. Draco stood up then, and pushed her onto the table he had been sitting on. He massaged her pert backside gently, sliding a finger into her vagina, while another finger circled her tight back entrance. She moaned and clutched at the desk, while Draco slid his finger into her backside. She gasped then, and Draco pushed another finger into her, scissoring his two fingers to loosen and relax her.

"Now!" Hermione gasped, and Draco obliged, pushing the head of his penis into her. She was almost painfully tight, but Draco paused while they both got used to the feel of him inside her. At a second prompt from Hermione, he pushed even further within her, until he was buried to the hilt.

"Oh god, it's so tight!" Draco gasped. He slid back out slightly and thrust back into her.

"That's because… oh, Draco, _yes!_ Oh, that's because nature didn't intend you to put yourself in there!" Hermione moaned. He thrust in and out of her, prompted by the loud moans that issued from deep within his girlfriend. He couldn't deny the fact that he was enjoying it as much as she was, considering that guttural moans were ripping from him, too. He felt tension begin to coil within him, and he knew he was close, so he reached a hand around Hermione's body and moved it downwards until he found her clit. She jerked under his touch and he massaged her nub as he thrust in and out of her.

"Hermione!" Draco hollered as he came inside her. He saw cauldrons as he shot his load into her tight ass, and he was only vaguely aware of her orgasmic scream as he collapsed on her. _If this is what it feels like, I want to try new things with her a lot more often_, Draco thought.

"Tomorrow, my love, I'm far too tired for experimentation right now." Hermione sighed, and Draco winced as he pulled out of her, because he was so out of it, he'd actually thought aloud.

"I love you so much, Hermione Granger."

"I love you too, baby."

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><p>When Draco met Hermione in the Entrance Hall at 6pm on Valentine's Day, he felt sick with nerves. Since the night in the Room of Requirement and Draco's revelation, Hermione had seemed oddly distant. It wasn't particularly that that worried Draco. Tonight, he planned to propose to her. He had chosen the perfect ring, platinum with a large diamond in the centre, flanked by two smaller rubies. A quiet throat clearing behind him told him she had arrived. He recalled the day that he'd spent with her, the romantic stroll round the grounds, and their brunch in the kitchens. He thought she'd had a good day, and from the intense make-out session they'd had, he knew that he certainly had.<p>

"Hermione… you look incredible!" Draco whispered, awed by her appearance. She wore a long sleeved, navy blue shirt, black dress pants and black ankle boots. Her hair was curled and loosely pinned back, allowing a few curls to frame her face, which was painted with very little make-up. She was truly a vision. She put a thick black cloak around her shoulders and wrapped a black scarf around her neck.

"Thanks, you look pretty great yourself. Shall we go?" Hermione asked, taking his offered hand. They walked slowly down to Hogsmeade, staying close together and chatting idly about various things. They walked into the warm restaurant and were greeted by a stern looking witch, who seated them at their private booth. The lighting was just perfect – bright enough that they could see what they were doing, but not at all overpowering. Their meal was peaceful and romantic, and after their shared chocolate cheesecake, Draco patted his pocket. He knelt next to her.

"Hermione, you mean everything to me. I hope today has been perfect for you, because that is everything you deserve. I love you." Draco said. Hermione appeared to be holding her breath, so he grinned and slid the small ring box from his pocket.

"Draco…" whispered Hermione nervously. He smiled wider and opened the box.

"Hermione Jean Granger, I love you more than words can express. I want to be yours forever, and I want to spend every single day of the rest of my life with you. I will protect you from harm as well as I can, and I will do my very best to make you happy. I don't care what people say or think, because the only thing that matters to me now, is you. Hermione, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" Draco asked, his grey eyes never leaving her brown eyes.

"Do you mean it?" Hermione asked, her voice much stronger, though laced with fear.

"Of course I do. I'll swear it under Veritaserum, if you wish. I brought some with me, just in case," said Draco, pulling the vial of potion from his pocket.

"No, I believe you. I just wanted to be sure."

"So, what's your answer?"

"Yes."

Draco slid the ring onto her finger, feeling more complete than he ever had before. She was his.

Now all he had to do was tell his parents.

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><p><strong>So that was the final chapter. Now all that's left is my epilogue, which I am literally about to start writing.<strong>

**You guys have been incredibly awesome, but I'll save all my sobbing and heartbreak of the epilogue. I do want challenge words for it, but I'm not going to write any serious smut - you have been forewarned.**

**Lottie.**


	31. Epilogue: Home

**Sweet mother of Merlin, this is the last ever time I'm updating this fic! You guys have been incredible throughout the entire fic, and I don't think I would have carried on if I didn't have the support of those from the very beginning. I want to thank BelleBelles and unimaginablyevilguycalledbob for repeatedly giving me good reviews and awesome challenge words, and for their challenge words this chapter. You guys have all been awesome, and I think that sometime in the future, I will make a sequel to this, about their marriage, and possibly the pitter-patter of magical feet upon the floor.**

**I hope you enjoy this epilogue, though it is a little bit angsty.**

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><p><strong><em><span>Epilogue<span>_**

Hermione paced her room nervously, thinking about her NEWT results, and Graduation. She was already dressed for the ceremony, in pale gold robes. Her Head Girl badge was pinned to her black cloak, and her black hat had a gold lion medallion pinned to it. Her gold watch chimed, and she looked helplessly around the room. Everything she had at Hogwarts was packed into her trunk, which had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it, and a Lightening Charm. She took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom she shared with Draco. Nothing was left in there, either. She stared at her reflection worriedly. She'd left her curly hair down, upon the request of her fiancé. She grinned as she looked down at her engagement ring. It went quite well with the jewellery Remus had given her and the pendant Draco himself had made her and given her Christmas before last. A song reached her ears and she smiled when she heard the words.

"Skipparoo, my darling, skipparoo all day, when my heart is beating, it jumps and says: HOORAY!" Draco's deep baritone echoed off the tiles before his beautiful blonde head poked around the door.

"Hermione, petal, we're going to be late, and we have to lead everyone out." Draco said, and his eyes widened when he looked at her (she hadn't let him near her all day) and sighed. "You look incredible, my love."

"Thank you, you look great too. Are your parents here?"

"I think so." Draco said, and talk of his parents reminded her of last Christmas, which she had spent at Malfoy Manor. Draco's parents had swallowed their pride and invited her round when it became evident that Draco would give up everything for her. It had been awkward at first, and his parents were rather stiff with her, but by the end of the holidays, they had gotten on great, and they had liked her. Lucius Malfoy had even given them his blessing.

"Let's go, before I chicken out." Hermione sighed, and took Draco's offered arm.

Her fiancé chuckled. "I thought you were a Gryffindor."

"I was," replied Hermione glumly.

"Once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor, love. Just think, this time next week, we'll be in our own home. This time next month, you'll be my wife." Draco said proudly, and Hermione beamed. She never thought she'd be so excited to be a Malfoy, but she was so proud of her husband-to-be, and his parents. From what they were, they'd come an awful long way, and made a real effort to welcome Hermione into their family. That was saying something, considering Hermione was a Gryffindor, a mudblood, and Harry Potter's best friend.

They made their way down the many flights of stairs and into the Entrance Hall. They were to lead the entire 7th Year population into the Great Hall, where the ceremony was to take place. McGonagall greeted them and told them to take their places in front of the former prefects in their year. Daphne Greengrass was leading the Slytherins; Ernie Macmillan was leading the Hufflepuffs; Ron was leading the Gryffindors and Padma Patil was leading the Ravenclaws. The double doors opened, and Draco and Hermione walked through into the Hall. The decorations were the same as they were at the beginning of every academic year, with a banner for each of the four houses on both walls and then the huge Hogwarts logo on a banner hanging over the Head table. Hermione, being Head Girl, and Draco, being Head Boy, lead the way up the aisle between all the seats and sat at the special congregation of seats near the small stage in front of the Head table.

The students' seats were split into four squares – one for each House – so Hermione and Draco split to sit in their separate seats. Hermione made her way to stand in front of her scarlet chair, while Draco stood by his emerald chair. The Hufflepuffs filed in first, led by Ernie, who looked as though he couldn't be prouder. He strode regally to the canary yellow chairs that were to seat the Hufflepuffs. They all stood, and then looked to the door for the next House. While Hermione waited, she caught her mother's gaze, and the older woman dabbed at her eyes. She was sat next to Molly Weasley, who was also crying silently. In the very front row, Sirius and Remus sat together, obviously there for Harry (of course the Dursley's wouldn't have come), but Remus waved at her and grinned, mouthing 'I'm so proud of you'. Sirius saw this and nodded, signalling that he too was proud of her. The fact that so many of her friends and family were there made her eyes prickle, and she hastily wiped away a tear as Daphne Greengrass swept up the space between the crowd, the Slytherins following her, some smiling widely, others looking simply bored.

Emilie Fawcett looked rather pale, but walked proudly with her head held high. When Emilie stood in front of her seat, she caught Hermione's eye and winked across the empty Ravenclaw chairs. Hermione grinned back at the girl who had easily become one of her best friends since she began dating Ron at the end of 6th Year. She often joined Draco at Gryffindor table in the mornings for breakfast, and the two of them got on like a house on fire. Daphne also caught her eye, and they shared a worried glance. Between the two Slytherin girls, Hermione and Ginny, they formed a small little group of friends. They went shopping together as often as they could, and during the holidays, the tended to have parties at Em's house. Hermione turned her attention back to the doors, just as Padma Patil glided up the aisle with the Ravenclaws following smoothly and filling the gap between the Gryffindors and Slytherins. When the Ravenclaws had taken their places, everyone fell silent.

The families of the Gryffindors cheered when Harry led the Gryffindors up the gap, and Sirius had actually wiped his eyes of tears, which Hermione suspected was to do with the fact that his best friend wasn't there to see his son graduate. When Harry stood beside Hermione, with Ron looking rather shaky on his left, Hermione threw him a questioning glance.

"Ron chickened out," whispered an amused Harry, while Professor Dumbledore introduced the 7th Years. Hermione shook her head as everyone sat down and the cheering had died down. Her pendant grew hot, so she touched her forefinger to it.

_What's up?_ Hermione thought at Draco.

_Nothing, my love, I just wanted to let you know that Lupin is sobbing into Black's shoulder. You were talking to Harry, so I thought I'd tell you. I heard him saying how proud he was of you, Harry and Ron._

_Oh, thanks. I love you so much, Draco. I'm really proud to be your fiancé. _Hermione thought, turning to look at Remus. He was indeed sobbing, though silently, into Sirius' heard Draco thank her and repeat the sentiment before removing her finger. She had to make her speech, as did her fiancé, so she really didn't have time to talk.

"I am now proud to present your Head Girl, Hermione Jean Granger and your Head Boy, Draco Lucius Malfoy for their end of year speech." Professor Dumbledore said, gesturing towards the seats of the students. Hermione rose from her seat and walked just ahead of Draco to the stage. She looked at him nervously and he grinned back, reaching to squeeze her hand quickly before speaking.

"Good afternoon, everyone, and I'd like to welcome you all to the Graduation Ceremony of the Hogwarts Class of 1998. As Professor Albus Dumbledore said, I am Draco Malfoy. This beautiful witch here is Hermione Granger and we are going to recall our years here at Hogwarts, to share with all of you." Draco said, before nudging Hermione. She shook her head frantically, her stomach twisting with nerves. If she opened her mouth, she was going to projectile vomit _everywhere!_

"Come on, Hermione!" Sirius yelled from the front row. Hermione blushed deeply, though she was too nervous to be truly embarrassed. When he winked, and Remus grinned through his tears, she drew up every ounce of strength and courage and spoke.

"I'm so sorry for that little blip, everybody. Oh, and thanks for the encouragement, Sirius. To be graduating today, after seven years of study at this incredible school is incredibly nerve wracking, and I was momentarily stunned into silence. I think the most important moment of my life, and _certainly_ the most life-changing, was getting my Hogwarts letter. I am a muggle-born witch with, I think, no magical heritage. Being the natural geek that I am, I of course read all of my books before coming here, and practically memorised Hogwarts: A History. I must say, on the Hogwarts Express, coming here for my first year, I even got a little star struck. Of course I'm talking about helping lovely Neville Longbottom find his elusive toad, Trevor and walking into the very carriage where Harry Potter sat, stuffing his face with wizarding sweets with Ronald Weasley. There them two sat, and Ron was trying a spell that his mischievous brothers Fred and George had 'taught' him, which failed by the way, and I acted the precocious brat and repaired Harry's glasses. Leaving that carriage, I nearly fainted." Hermione said, laughing along with the audience. Harry had buried his face in his hands.

"You got star struck by Harry Potter? Oh dear, petal, I thought it would have been the enchanted ceiling, or perhaps Albus Dumbledore at the Head table. No, you were most affected by Harry." Draco laughed, and pointed at the Boy Who Lived, whose face was not only hid behind his hands, but also Gryffindor scarlet.

Hermione burst out laughing, though her laughter was drowned out by Sirius, who was openly cackling. "Yes, well that wowed me too. I must ask a favour of Sirius Black – never let Harry forget this moment in his entire life. Right, well during our first year, not only was I bombarded by all the subjects we took, I became best friends with the two boys stuffing their faces on the Hogwarts Express. I'm proud to say that we're still best friends now and that's quite an achievement. The school was rocked by the news that the stuttering Professor Quirrel was actually being possessed by Lord Voldemort."

The rest of the speech passed by smoothly, filled with anecdotes from the couple as they recounted their years at Hogwarts. After that, every student walked up onto the stage, were given their results, and graduated. Hermione, much to her delight, got straight O's, though she was still unsure about what she wanted to do. She still had a month or two to decide what is was she wanted. As she hugged her crying mother, and was swamped by all of her friends and family, Hermione wondered if she ever would have guessed that the wizarding world existed. She knew that she was a singularly gifted witch, and that she had every opportunity to go far in life. She only hoped she would make the right choices. She found tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she hugged Mrs Weasley, and Ginny, and Remus, and all of her other friends.

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><p>Hermione flung her arms out and span in a circle. She was in her own home, with the man that was to be her husband in only two weeks. She had left her dress and everything she needed for her wedding at the Burrow. The actual wedding was to be held at Malfoy Manor, at the insistence of her soon-to-be mother-in-law. She grinned as strong arms wound around her waist, lifting her off her feet.<p>

"Oh, my love, we have our own home now. In exactly thirteen days, you shall be my wife. My mother also insists that we keep Elsa." Draco said, nuzzling her neck and breathing in her scent.

"No!" Hermione cried, ripping herself from Draco's embrace.

"No?" Draco repeated incredulously.

"No. I will not keep a slave. I will not have a house elf in any place I call my home, Draco. You know that, and you would do well to remember it." Hermione replied firmly, glaring at her fiancé.

"It's a gift from my mother! What you will not do, Hermione, is refuse it!"

"I will do as I please, and you will not stop me!" Hermione raged. With a disgusted sound, and a tight grip on his wand, Draco disapparated from their house. Though Hermione was completely set in her decision and was stubbornly refusing to change her mind, nothing stopped her from falling to the floor and dissolving into heart-wrenching sobs.

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><p><strong>Draco's POV.<strong>

With a loud pop, Draco apparated into the drawing room of his parents Manor. His father leapt from his chair, drawing his wand as his book fell to the floor with a thud.

"Darling, what's wrong? Is Hermione alright?" Narcissa Malfoy asked, leaping from her seat and crossing to the room to pull her son into a tight hug.

"No. She's a stubborn and ungrateful bitch." Draco snarled. His parents exchanged a knowing glance.

"This is the first true fight you've had, since becoming a couple, isn't it?" Mother asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, which he shrugged out from.

"So what if it is?"

"You will talk to your mother with respect, boy, or you will find yourself out of this house before you can say Salazar!" His father said menacingly.

"Lucius, my love, he's just upset. Now, Draco dear, you can't leave just because you had a fight. What was it about?"

"I don't want to talk about it. All I know is I don't want any of it anymore. Not if she's going to turn out to be a stubborn, petty bitch!" Draco said venomously.

"What are you talking about, darling?" Mother asked. Her pale face creased with worry.

"I will not marry her!" Draco exploded suddenly, after a few moments silence. His father frowned and his face twisted into an ugly fury.

"You have no choice, boy!"

"Fuck you, I'm already engaged!" Draco replied.

"Lucius, I think he may be ill. He looks so pale, my love." Mother said, raising her wand and checking him magically. Her wand swished over the length of Draco's body, and after a minute, she put it away, looking troubled. "He's fine physically. I don't understand."

"Of course you don't! The only person who ever truly understood was Hermione! But she's too fucking stubborn. She won't accept the fucking elf!"

"Well then she won't have it. Why don't you see if she comes round? It won't hurt to cook your own meals for a couple of weeks, boy." Father told him briskly, but with a curious expression on his face, like he was still angry but was fighting laughter.

"Ugh! I'm going home. To my wife!" Draco said, gripping his wand again. He had already disapparated when his mother called out "you're not married yet!"

Draco popped into his kitchen, where he had argued with Hermione, to see her curled into a foetal position, sobbing her heart out. He lay on the floor beside her, and pulled her close to him.

"I'm sorry, petal. I love you. I shouldn't have run away like that. Oh, Hermione. I'm sorry. I love you." Draco said, feeling his own eyes prickle for the first time in over a year.

"I know." Hermione said around her tears. "I love you too."

"Hermione, I never want to fight with you again."

"Then don't," whispered Hermione, kissing him.

When her tongue slid over his bottom lip, Draco gasped and whispered, "Give me more."

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><p><strong>Well, so long, my friends and fans. Check out my other fics if you're into Remione, or Wolfstar. They're all one-shots, but you may enjoy them. I wrote a Drarry one-shot, but I don't know if I'm particularly pleased with it, though feel free to read if you want. <strong>

**I must just say, you guys have been epic, and I'm going to miss checking my emails to see a load of really amazing reviews.**

**With love, and the promise of a sequel,**

**Lottie.**


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